Kenyan athletes have been asked to contribute towards economic building, by paying taxes from their earnings as well as from the prize money they get after winning international races.
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) deputy commissioner, Florence Otori, made the appeal during the opening of taxpayers’ week in Eldoret town on Tuesday.
Otori indicated that KRA has started a campaign to enlighten the athletes as well as other Kenyans the importance of paying taxes.
“There has been a bit of resistance on the side of the athletes when it comes to paying taxes, but I do not blame them because the culture of paying taxes is not inculcated in us right from nursery all the way to university,” said Otori.
She added: “Some of the athletes earn big monies but when they come from the diaspora and we tell them to pay taxes on the training facilities we are putting up using the taxpayers’ money they find it very hard. But now we are sensitising them and they know that any profit they make as long as it has reached the threshold they have to pay taxes,” she added.
Speaking during the same event, the Uasin Gishu county commissioner Christopher Wanjau asked Kenyans to pay taxes saying that it is the only way that the government raise revenues.
“For the government to perform its functions it needs resources and taxes are the major source of government resources. In Kenya we do not have minerals or public enterprises that are able to raise enough revenue for the government and therefore taxation remains the main source of government revenue,” said Wanjau.