The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has launched a crackdown for wealthy Kenyans displaying lavish lifestyles on social media, but paying little or no taxes for what they own.
According to KRA Commissioner-General Githii Mburu, the agency has assigned a number of officers to spend time to social media scouting for wealthy persons whose tax records are not in line with what they showcase online.
Mburu argues that the move to venture into social media has been occasioned by the agency’s desire to add more Kenyans into the tax bracket in a bid to meet its revenue targets.
Reports indicate that those found guilty of evading tax yet display lavish lifestyle risks facing dire consequences including being banned from travelling outside the country.
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KRA staff helping Kenyan file their returns. [Photo: Courtesy]
Some of the social media sites KRA is keen on infiltrating include; Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook where socialites and other influential personalities always share private details of their lives.
"In the social media, we have some people posting some nice things. You would see some posting nice houses, cars, taking their families to nice places and so on. Here, we are not sleeping, when we see those, we see taxes.
"We have our officers looking, they have gadgets. They key in very quickly (the number plate) to check. We are working exceptionally hard," KRA Commissioner-General Githii Mburu said during an interview with Business Daily.
KRA’s announcement comes at a time when most Kenyans use social media to showcase their achievements and different life milestones.
Currently, when you visit sites like Instagram or Facebook, it is rare for you to go through ten posts without finding one on a person with a new car or who has bought or build a house.
All eyes are now on the taxman as it embarks on a new crackdown that could see most socialites and ‘soft-life’ ambassadors end on the wrong side of the law.
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