Tax lazima ilipwe as RUTO’s Government reveals plans to switch off phones for Kenyans beginning next week


Friday, October 25, 2024 - Kenyans buying new mobile phones that will not comply with new tax requirements will have their phones switched off.

This is according to the latest directive from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). 

CA directed all phone business stakeholders to ensure that they comply with new taxation requirements that would be applied from next week on November 1.

''Operators will also be required to provide for the gray-listing of non-compliant devices to facilitate regularization within a prescribed period, failure to which the devices will thereafter be blacklisted,’’ CA stated.

The latest directive will only apply to all devices imported or assembled in the country beginning November 1, this year. 

Devices that will already be on the mobile networks by October 31 will not be affected.

The authority announced that all local phone assemblers had to upload the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) Number of each assembled device to the taxation database, to enable the government to track sales.

The regulator further directed all mobile phone importers to ensure that they disclose IMEI numbers of all devices that they plan to import.

Further, CA reminded importers that the directive was a mandatory practice in the exercise of government policies.

The CA’s directive to importers of mobile devices will also target agencies that import phones for the purposes of research, testing, and any other purposes.

The Authority further directed mobile phone retailers and wholesalers to ensure that they only engage in the trade of tax-compliant devices.

Local telcos engaging in network provision were also ordered to ensure that they only allow tax-compliant devices to be connected to their networks. CA added it would provide them with a whitelist database of compliant devices.

The Kenyan DAILY POST

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