KRA releases new tax rates as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta

Kenya Revenue Authority has released the new monthly and annual tax rates in deducting and remitting Pay As You Earn(PAYE) taxes on salaries and pensions of employees in Kenya.

This comes after Parliament finally enacted into law the reduced rates of tax last Wednesday as proposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 25.All employers who are yet to pay their employees for the month of April 2020 should therefore effect the enacted changes, according to the directive by KRA.

CBK faces virus litmus test for second month

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) will face a fresh test at the monetary policy meeting today as the economy continues to be battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The apex bank is expected at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting to assess the impact of a raft of measures it rolled out on March 23 to help the economy blunt and navigate the effects of the pandemic while possibly announcing new ones.

Kenya on Monday confirmed eight new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 363.

UoN’s CASELAP among Networks Providing Solutions to Global Challenges

The University’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law & Policy (CASELAP) is among twenty global networks recently launched to tackle global challenges.

Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund, CASELAP is set to develop practical solutions to address issues such as the prevalence of single-use plastic in Kenya while the other networks will tackle hurricane recovery in the Caribbean and water management across Africa among others.

CA Urges Public To Be Alert Of ‘Smishing’ Text Messages From Fraudsters

Acting Director General Communication Authority Mercy Wanjau on Thursday said that in this case the fraudsters are purporting to be part of the authority and are cautioning recipients that they have exceeded the maximum numbers of sim cards allowed per subscriber.

The fraudsters are equally creating and sharing links on social media where they can trick the subscribers into sharing their ID, usernames, passwords, PIN and credit card details to steal money from them.

Covid-19 burden relief as Uhuru signs bill reducing tax on salaries, VAT into law

The amended law, which mainly targets low-income earners, includes a 100 per cent Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax relief for employees earning less than Sh28,000 per month and further lowers turnover tax rate from 3 per cent to 1 per cent.

Those earning above the new threshold will benefit from a PAYE tax reduction of 5 per cent.

Similarly, the new Act has revised Corporation Tax to 25 per cent while Non-Resident Tax on Dividends has been adjusted from 10 to 15 per cent.

Tax collection flat at Sh340bn in first quarter

An analysis of government revenue data published by Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani on Friday shows that total tax receipts in the January to March 2020 period amounted to nearly Sh340.67 billion, largely unchanged from Sh339.27 billion in the same period a year ago.

This is equivalent to Sh1.4 billion, or 0.41 percent, growth over the same period in 2019.

Companies reported a sharp slump in orders during the three-month period, with overall business deals in private sector hitting lowest levels in more than two years, according to a closely watched monthly survey.