The government is expanding the mandatory use of taxman’s Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) for various government services, aiming to improve tax compliance and identify individuals filing nil tax returns.
Under the plan, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will leverage PIN information to snoop on individuals’ and companies’ activities across different government services, enabling them to identify potential tax evasion and avoidance.
The move yesterday sparked concerns about potential privacy breaches and increased government surveillance.
Under the proposed legislation by the National Treasury, most government services will now require a PIN certificate.
This includes registering titles, approving development plans, registering motor vehicles, business names, and companies.
Additionally, importing goods, paying utility deposits, and obtaining government contracts will necessitate a PIN.
This came as the taxman also issued a notice to visitors to Kenya and mobile phone importers to declare their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers to customs officials.
Just last week, the Communications Authority (CA) directed all phone manufacturers, retailers, and mobile network operators to upload each device’s IMEI number to a KRA-provided portal to facilitate tax compliance monitoring.
KRA also notified importers and assemblers to obtain necessary regulatory clearances and permits from CA. The IMEI number is a unique 15-digit serial code identifying each mobile device globally. If a mobile phone is connected to a network, its IMEI number is already registered.
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