Kuria clears the air on M-Pesa paybills as tax registers » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 11—President William Ruto’s economic advisor Moses Kuria has clarified his remarks about virtual electronic tax registers (ETRs) made during the recent KRA Summit.

Initially, media reports suggested that his comments were directed solely at MPESA, Kenya’s leading mobile money platform.

Kuria, however, has refuted these claims, emphasizing that his remarks were aimed at all Payment Service Providers, including telcos and banks.

“This is erroneous as I meant all Payment Service Providers including Telcos and Banks. Its an industry issue. Just like we will automatically block from activating on any network any mobile phone imported into the country with no record of having paid applicable taxes. Be guided accordingly,” he said.

The clarification comes amid the government’s efforts to tighten controls on tax evasion.

Kuria also pointed out that the same principle applies to mobile phones, with plans to block any device entering the country that has not paid applicable taxes from connecting to networks.

Integrating Virtual ETRs across the board is meant to create a level playing field, ensuring that both small and large players in the financial ecosystem are held to the same tax standards.

Kuria’s comments came as part of the government’s ongoing discussions to broaden the tax base, targeting revenue streams that have not been fully tapped into.

With tax reforms in the spotlight, the focus is now on creating a more inclusive, transparent, and effective tax collection framework across sectors.

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