The country’s basic education may soon have comprehensive tax literacy in its curriculum.
According to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), this is aimed at instilling the culture of tax compliance from an early age.
This was revealed by the authority’s Commissioner for Micro and Small Taxpayers, George Obell.
Mr Obell noted that there is already an ongoing engagement with various education stakeholder to look at modalities of actualizing the idea.
“We have even gone a step back to high schools, and we have even started a discussion with education stakeholders on how we can be able to inculcate this into their curriculum, because if it is understood at that early level, then it can be good,” said Obell.
He said this will therefore get the authority from dependency on budget to implement tax education.
He noted that this new intervention will not disrupt the ongoing engagements with the middle level colleges which has been designed around bringing more taxpayers on board.
He noted that with about 42 per cent of registered tax payers being young people aged between 21 and 30, there is need to tap on this through informative tax obligation engagement from basic education level.
He said this will ensure that the young people become informed taxpayers, uphold transparency and accountability, as well as use technology for compliance.
Mr Obell was speaking during a public lecture at Kendu Adventist School of Medical Sciences (KASMS) Kendu Adventist hospital on December 15, a topic themed;“Tax Compliance as a Catalyst for National Development: Empowering Youth and Health Professionals for a Prosperous Kenya.”
“You, the youth, are our country’s most valuable demographic. You are energetic, innovative, digitally savvy, and ambitious. You represent more than 70 per cent of the population, and the success of our tax system depends increasingly on how well we engage and empower you,” Obell told the youthful audience mostly made up of KASMS students.
Benefits of tax compliance
Through his lecture, Mr Obell noted engaged the students on the benefits of tax compliance, which he said was not only lawful, but also a social and religious obligation.
“Every modern society that hopes to provide quality healthcare, skilled education, reliable infrastructure, and meaningful employment requires a predictable and sustainable source of financing. Taxes form the backbone of that financing. When citizens comply voluntarily, governments can plan effectively, invest in long-term development, and deliver essential services,” said Obell.
He added: “Real progress, real transformation, requires each of us to play our part. No contribution is too small, and no effort is insignificant when the goal is the common good,” he said.
During the engagement, the students utilized the questions and answers session, where they sought clarifications over a number of issues relating to tax compliance.
Key among them were issues around how to become a compliant taxpayer, how to benefit from their taxes, as well as technical challenges associated with tax compliance.
To facilitate an informative engagement, KRA set up a tent at the institution to help those who need their services, such as registration for Personal Identity Number (PIN), obtaining tax compliance certificate, and choosing relevant tax brackets in relations to their various sources of income.
