KRA To Stalk Kenyans Who Post Lavish Lifestyles On Social Media

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ByMax

If you are a Kenyan who posts lavish lifestyle on Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and even Twitter, be wary of the tax man.

Kenya Revenue Authority commissioner Githii Mburu now says they will check if your lifestyle matches your taxes.

“In the social media, we have some people posting some nice things. You would see some posting nice shoes, nice houses, cars taking their families to nice places,” Mburu told Business Daily during an interview.

“Here we are not sleeping, when we see those, we see taxes.”

He said they have officers who focus on smoking out tax cheats through various social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and Twitter.

“Our officers have gadgets. When they see a big car passing, they key in the number plates to check. We are working exceptionally hard,” he said.

This will be a big blow for socialites who occasionally post every single activity they engage in during vacations or even working hours.

Some splash their lives all over social media with big cars, big homes and in big hotels.

But the tax man now says if this doe snot match what you pay to the government, you risk travel bans and prosecution.

Tax evasion has been in existence for as long as humanity has existed.

And with time, technology and easier movement of people and goods, the vice has become more sophisticated and costlier to countries.

It is reported that Kenya alone could be losing hundreds of billions in lost tax revenue arising out of tax evasion schemes annually.

Last week, KRA said it collected Sh154.38 billion during the month of October, against its target of Sh142.285 billion.

Mburu said the authority recorded impressive performance of 108.5 per cent, and growth of 23.3 per cent, sustaining positive performance into Quarter Two of the Financial Year 2021-22.

He said the authority commenced the new financial year on an upward trajectory after surpassing its July-September target of Sh461.65 billion by Sh15 billion, recording a 30 per cent growth.

Domestic Taxes recorded a performance rate of 106.5 per cent with a collection of Sh96.62 billion against a target of Sh90.7 billion.

Last year, KRA launched a web-based anonymous reporting solution dubbed iWhistle in a bid to deal with tax cheats.

The KRA iWhistle solution enables the public to anonymously report and provide tax crime leads.

KRA said credible information tips received on the iWhistle and leading to collection of revenue on tax fraud or tax evasion schemes will receive cash rewards of up to Sh 2 million per case as stipulated by law.

Source: The Star

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