Kenya Revenue Authority is committed to upholding the spirit of recognising tax compliance among taxpayers as a way of making tax administration effective and less costly, Commissioner General Mr. M G. Waweru has said. The Commissioner General said the Authority has adopted a compliance model which requires that KRA respond to taxpayers according to their compliance status. 

At the top of the pyramid are the non compliant, these are individuals who have made a conscious decision not to pay taxes and are thus supposed to be subjected to maximum pressure. In the middle, he said are taxpayers who require a little bit of persuasion to comply, hence need for tax education. At the bottom are compliant taxpayers who need continuous support to maintain their compliance trend. 

Mr. Waweru said these while addressing the public during the Year 2009 Taxpayers Awards and Recognition ceremony held on Wednesday 21st October 2009 at the Bomas of Kenya and presided over by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya Hon. Mwai Kibaki.  

Safaricom Limited emerged Year 2009 Overall Winner, while Kenya Breweries Limited and Teachers Service Commission were 1st and 2nd Runner Up respectively. Safaricom Limited has won the Award three times in a row.

Under the Exceptional Effort Award category, Members of Parliament Hon. Johnstone Muthama and Peter Kenneth were awarded for voluntary compliance with Pay As You Earn (P.A.Y. E). Other distinguished taxpayers included British American Tobacco, Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited, Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited, Kenya Commercial Bank Limited, Ministry of Roads, Standard Chartered Bank (K) Limited and Kenya Power & Lighting Company Limited among others.
In his remarks His Excellency the President saluted all distinguished taxpayers in the country, saying that through their continued hard work, resilience and commitment to honour your tax obligations, they have made it possible for the Government to effectively continue implementing Kenya’s national development agenda.
The President said that taxpayers are responsible members of the society and deserve recognition as such and reminded them the Government acknowledges taxpayers as worthy partners in the development efforts.
He added that the annual event demonstrates the importance the Government attaches to revenue administration, and in particular, to the partnership between the KRA and taxpayers.
`Indeed, it is only through such a partnership that we can improve tax compliance to enhance Government revenue collection for financing our development agenda. For this reason, I want to commend the Board of Directors, the Management and staff of the Kenya Revenue Authority for organizing this occasion to recognize our taxpayers’. President Kibaki said.
`As part of our efforts to simplify tax administration, I have directed the Minister for Finance to fast-track the process of clearing all V.A.T. arrears and to look into ways of ensuring that no arrears recur in the future’. The President directed.
Mr. Waweru highlighted measures the Authority has taken to ensure that service provision is of high quality and tax payment is made easy which include among others; introduction of online services; enforcement of use of electronic tax register; introduction of authorised economic operator scheme; x-ray cargo scanners and online motor vehicle registration among others.

Speaking at the ceremony KRA Board Chairman Mr. Leonard Mwangola said that the Authority is committed to customer service philosophy saying that although tax payment is a legal requirement, KRA is committed to making its experience as pleasant as possible.

He said over the last six years KRA has structured its operations and enhanced the use of modern technology to ensure delivery of quality and prompt service. Mr. Mwangola singled out the launch of Call Centre on 19th October 2009 by the Minister of Finance Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta as the latest innovation to be unveiled. The centre provides effective avenue of communication between taxpayers and the Authority so as to have issues of concern resolved conclusively and expeditiously.

Taxpayers Week
KRA set aside the week beginning Monday 19th to Friday 23rd October 2009 to interact with taxpayers throughout the country to recognise and appreciate taxpayers for their contribution to the Government’s revenue generation.

Corporate Social Responsibility
During the week, KRA as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility held a variety of activities aimed at expressing appreciation to stakeholders and ensuring close collaboration with them with the aim of nurturing lasting partnership. During the week the Authority focused on the physically challenged persons in the society. 

Among the hospitals that the Authority visited were the National Spinal Injury Hospital in Nairobi where it donated 50 hospital beds, 15 ripple mattresses, 60 pairs of bed sheets and 50 standard mattresses. The Chief Guest at the CSR function was Member of the KRA Board of Directors Mr. George Mitine and also attended by fellow Directors Amb. Hassan Bagha and Mr. Hosea Kipkemboi and KRA staff.

.