Taxpayers affected by September iTax disruptions will have penalties and interest arising from the downtime waived. The Kenya Revenue Authority announced the relief following difficulties experienced while filing returns and making payments.
The waiver will only apply where penalties or interest resulted directly from verified iTax service interruptions. KRA said affected periods would first be identified before eligible charges are removed.
System records will be reviewed to establish when the affected services were unavailable or intermittently accessible. Penalties and interest linked to those confirmed periods will then be considered for waiver.
The affected functions included return filing and payment services available through the iTax platform. Some taxpayers reportedly experienced difficulties accessing the system while attempting to meet their tax obligations.
VAT Deadline Approaches
The announcement was made ahead of the September 20 deadline for filing VAT returns. The disruption therefore occurred during a period when taxpayers were preparing to complete their monthly obligations.
VAT taxpayers were among those affected by difficulties accessing the digital platform. Concerns had emerged over whether system interruptions could result in additional costs for taxpayers unable to file on time.
KRA has now clarified that qualifying penalties and interest will not remain payable. The relief will, however, be limited to charges directly attributable to confirmed system downtime.
Legal Provision Cited
The waiver is being implemented under Section 89(5A) of the Tax Procedures Act. The provision provides the legal basis for removing penalties and interest arising from qualifying circumstances.
KRA said the system disruption affected the normal operation of filing and payment services. Technical teams were subsequently engaged to address the intermittent interruptions affecting the platform.
The authority had acknowledged the iTax disruptions on September 16. However, the duration of the latest interruptions was not specified in the waiver announcement.
KRA also did not publicly confirm in the notice whether all affected services had been fully restored. Taxpayers were nevertheless encouraged to remain patient as technical efforts continued.
Taxpayers Urged to Continue Filing
Taxpayers have been encouraged to continue meeting their obligations through the available iTax services. The authority said efforts were being made to facilitate compliance despite the technical difficulties.
Any penalties or interest arising from confirmed downtime periods will be identified through KRA’s system processes. Taxpayers will therefore not need to assume that every September penalty qualifies automatically.
The latest announcement provides relief to taxpayers who faced genuine difficulties caused by the platform interruptions. It also places emphasis on establishing a direct connection between the downtime and any resulting penalties.
KRA apologised for the inconvenience caused by the intermittent service disruptions. The authority said efforts were also being made to improve the reliability of its digital services.
About The Author
