The Kenya Revenue Authority has started collecting tips from the public in an effort aimed at netting tax cheats as it works towards meeting its tax collection target. The Authority is tasked to raise close to 900 billion shillings within the second half of this fiscal year, a target that seems impossible especially after falling short by double digits in a period before. It has therefore implemented several measures to ensure it does meet its target, including unveiling a web-based anonymous reporting system dubbed iWhistle that will allow members of the public as well as staff to report various forms of tax cheats.
iWhistle will become functional during the second half of this year, a feature that has been in the works since 2013. KRA intents to have more public participation in reporting various forms of tax cheats, thereby increasing tax collection to meet its set target. The system will upgrade previous methods that public could use to report tax cheats such as emails, phone calls and walk-ins. According to the Authority, these forms of reporting were long, tedious and did not allow anonymity. In contrast, iWhistle provides full anonymity and works by autogenerating an identity that informer uses to access the portal to report and follow up on the progress of their report.
How to report Tax cheats using iWhistle
- Access the portal by going to https://iwhistle.kra.go.ke
- Then click on REPORT NOW
- Create an account using anonymous User ID and Password
- Proceed to report the incident by entering parties involved
- You can follow up on the portal on progress of your report
KRA is also relying on compliance enforcement as well as new revenue streams to boost its revenue collection. Due to the pandemic, several measures were put in place to ease the burden on Kenyans including tax reliefs on low-income earners. Most of these measures came to an end starting this January 2021, giving the authority hope to meet it’s set target for tax collection.