The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has partnered with the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) to train revenue service assistants (RSAs) to support revenue collection efforts.
Speaking on Friday, August 25, during the graduation of 1,405 RSAs, KRA Board Chairman Anthony Mwaura said the commission is determined to implement programmes to facilitate and motivate KRA staff.
“To the 1,405 RSAs, congratulations as you join the KRA family. “You are now ready to serve this country by ensuring that we mobilize adequate revenue for the financing of the economic development and enable the government to achieve its economic -Bottom-Up Transformation Agenda,” he said.
According to Mwaura, this is for enhanced productivity by building capacity, emphasizing on ethical conduct, and instilling professionalism.
“It is for this reason that the Revenue Service Assistants (RSAs) have been taken through a two-month training aimed at instilling discipline ethics and integrity, national values, patriotism, order and etiquette, character development and self-awareness, survival skills, and teamwork,” said Mwaura.
Further, the Chairman the training will enable staff to be more effective at work, enhance productivity and consequently improve revenue collection.
Mwaura said 120 Senior Managers and 100 Assistant Mangers have also undergone 21-days training at KDF.
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Further, he stated that KRA will continue partnering with KDF toward the economic transformation of this nation.
According to Humphrey Mulongo Wattanga, KRA Commissioner General, the RSAs are the first cohort of KRA staff to have gone through the KDF training.
Wattanga said the officers were trained to facilitate taxpayers in paying their taxes in a friendly, efficient, and effective manner.
The Commissioner General said the RSAs received technical tax training in areas such as VAT, Excise Tax, iTax, eTIMS, and EGMS.
“Additionally, they have received security training that is aimed to inculcate discipline, patriotism and help trainees achieve physical fitness,” said Wattanga.
Further, he noted the training focused on instilling national values and integrity and prepare the RSAs to serve Kenya and mobilize revenue collection.
“To the graduands, you now have a noble duty to support KRA achieve its target of collecting Kshs. 2.768 trillion by the end of Financial Year 2023/2024 and surpassing the Kshs. 3 trillion marks by Financial Year 2024/2025,” he said.
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Duties of KRA Revenue Service Assistants
Moreover, Wattanga said the officers will be deployed in different regions and will support in:
1.Expanding the tax base through initiatives like: online Registration of trading businesses that are not registered with KRA, data collection on landlords to facilitate compliance initiatives relating to rental and property taxes.
2.They will also enhance compliance through facilitating the on-boarding of new taxpayers involved in the manufacture of excisable goods, ensure compliance with excise regulations and enforcement on unlicensed/illicit factories.
3.The officers will be involved in market surveillance to ensure compliance of taxpayers with issuance of tax receipts and compliance with TIMS/eTIMS regulations.
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Mudavadi on revenue collection
Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS), Musalia Mudavadi who presided over the pass-out at KDF Training Centre in Eldoret said the training has developed talents to protect the country’s revenues.
Further, Mudavadi said the nation depends on taxes to provide public services to citizens and sustain economic growth.
“I congratulate the graduands on the successful completion of the two-months training to become Revenue Service Assistants.
Allow me to also commend the instructors from KDF and KRA for guiding these grandaunts during the rigorous training,” said Mudavadi.
In addition, Mudavadi explained that training of tax administration officers will enforce integrity in tax mobilization.
The PCS said the RSAs received tax education and paramilitary training meant to instill discipline.
“Through technical skills in VAT, Excise tax and tax business systems; combined with the ethos of patriotism, integrity and national values instilled in them, we are optimistic that these officers’ commitment to duty will enable the Government raise resources to implement the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda,” said Mudavadi.
Also, the RSAs will enforce tax compliance, engage in revenue collection and sealing leakages in collection.
“As you engage in revenue collection and sealing leakages, you must also be respectful of the taxpayers. Understand them and give them room to make good. This is especially important in your relationship with our informal sector.
Help business comply with their tax obligations through simplification of processes and providing a steady and predictable business environment. A business-friendly approach is what you are obligated to,” explained Mudavadi.
