The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that it collected a total of Ksh. 43.9 billion from 1,064,667 taxpayers who heeded the tax amnesty program that ended on 30th June, 2024.
Through the tax amnesty program, KRA waived penalties and interest amounting to Ksh. 507.7 billion, benefiting 3,115,393 taxpayers. The waivers include those that were offered automatically after taxpayers filed their returns, declared and paid their principal taxes.
The amnesty program ran from 1st September, 2023, to 30th June, 2024, and provided a relief to taxpayers with outstanding tax obligations. According to the taxman, the program was most successful in the month of June, 2024, when KRA recorded the highest collection of Ksh. 15.1 billion, just before the end of the financial year.
The Finance Act, 2023, introduced the tax amnesty program which allowed taxpayers to apply for amnesty of penalties and interests on tax debt for periods up to 31st December, 2022. This followed the repeal of the provisions on abandonment and waivers of penalties and interest.
Under the amnesty program, taxpayers were only required to pay the principal tax amount of their outstanding tax debts.