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Income Tax Filing Changes Driven by eTIMS: What Taxpayers Need to Know

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  In a bid to drive compliance efforts following the implementation of eTIMS, KRA has made it even more exhaustive by ensuring compliance for not only VAT but also Income Tax. The authority has reshaped how Income Tax is prepared, declared and validated using eTIMS. All of this is as an effort of KRA to enforce a more data driven and transparent tax system. Some of these changes are backed by the law and KRA is just enforcing what has already been stipulated. Section 23A(4) of the Tax Procedures Act (Kenya) and Paragraph 10 of the Tax Procedures (Electronic Tax Invoice) Regulations 2024 for instance stipulates how some expenses are not to be validated against Etims. These exclusions include airline passenger ticketing, employment-related expenses such as salaries and wages, interest expenses, and financial institution charges. Additionally, investment allowances and internal accounting adjustments captured in dedicated tax computation fields are not subject to eTIMS validation. If ...

Key Changes to 2025 Income Tax Filing — KRA Commissioner Explains What Taxpayers Need to Know

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  The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has outlined a series of significant updates and procedural changes that will shape the 2025 income tax filing season — many of which will directly affect how individuals and businesses prepare, validate and submit their annual returns. 1. Shift to Pre-Populated Returns For the 2025 filing year, KRA is accelerating its drive toward automation. A growing number of taxpayers — especially salaried individuals and those with employer-reported income — will find their returns pre-populated with information already available on KRA systems. Taxpayers are expected to review, verify and confirm these records rather than fill in every detail manually. What to do: Log into iTax early, reconcile reported income and deductions, and ensure accuracy before submission. 2. Enhanced Data Validation Requirements In line with its data-driven compliance strategy, KRA will validate declared income and expenses against multiple data sources — including employer PA...

KRA Launches eTIMS System for Petrol Stations — Tougher Scrutiny & Broader Impact

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  The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has formally rolled out the Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS) tailored to the petroleum retail sector, marking a major shift in how fuel transactions are invoiced and monitored nationwide. The initiative has triggered both optimism around improved tax compliance and concerns about cost and operational strain for fuel retailers. What Is the eTIMS Fuel Station System? For petrol stations, the new fuel module integrates forecourt controllers and point-of-sale systems so that every liter sold must be backed by an electronic invoice sent straight to KRA’s database. The system was piloted from 2024 and became mandatory by end of 2025, with more than 500 stations already live. Why KRA Is Pushing eTIMS in the Fuel Sector KRA’s thrust stems from long-standing concerns around tax leakage, invoice fraud, and underreporting of sales — especially in high-volume sectors like fuel retailing. By capturing every sale in real time, the tax authori...