KRA seeks legal backing to access your M-PESA records and bank accounts in a bid to nab tax cheats – LOOK!

Monday, May 13, 2024 - The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will now access your Mpesa records if Finance Bill 2024 is passed by Parliament.

The Finance Bill 2024 which has been prepared by Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Prof Njuguna Ndungu seeks exemption of KRA to access sensitive data like details of properties owned and bank accounts operated by taxpayers without court warrants.

The Finance Bill 2024 also proposes to integrate the database of these data controllers and processors like the KRA ITAX in a far-reaching move that lawyers have described as ‘worrying’.

The KRA’s enforcement has been using various databases to pursue suspected tax cheats including bank statements, import records, motor vehicle registration records, Kenya power bills, water bills and data from Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) which reveals individuals who own planes, especially choppers.

If KRA is given access to MPESA records, this will be a big win for the government since many Kenyans have been evading taxes by banking on Mpesa instead of using banks.

The Kenyan DAILY POST