VP Kalonzo Pays his 4.4M tax Arrears Today

30/06/2011

The VP Kalonzo Musyoka (right) handing Michael Waweru KRA General Commisioner his tax today at Times Towers.

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka today took a bold step to pay his salary tax areas.

Kalonzo joins the list of Kenyan prominent personalities who have already bowed to the pressure and paid their taxes.

Mr. Kalonzo wat at the KRA offices where he paid his taxes amounting to 4.4M.

“I am very pleased to fulfill this obligation as a citizen of this country and in accordance with requirement of our new constitution” he said. 

“I am now fully tax-compliant and happy” he said before handing over four banker’s cheque to Mr. Michael Waweru the General Commissioner of KRA amounting to Ksh. 4,423,000.

Earlier this with week the VP had advocated for dialogue between KRA and Parliamentary Service Commission to break the impasse of paying tax saying he would comply before end month to a letter sent to him by the taxman last week.

“I take this opportunity to urge fellow Kenyans to pay their taxes dutifully as it constitutes government revenue for public service” he said.

Kalonzo said paying taxes was not a public relations exercise for the 2012 elections but a way of implementing the new constitution.

During his press briefing it emerged that the president who is attending presidential summit of AU in Equatorial Guinea paid up to Ksh. 8 million based on his Ksh. 24.5 million salary.

“As the deputy of his Excellency the president I like to state that the president paid his taxes sometimes last week” the VP told reporters saying Kibaki avoided fanfare in remitting his taxes.

The VP though refused to state the amount saying he was out of Malaysia for a state visit last week.

The same stance was taken by Mr. Waweru saying he could not give the figures to the press.

“Under the oath of office I can’t divulge information of any tax payer’s amount without his prior consent or a court order” Mr. Waweru said.

Waweru said the taxman wasn’t pressurizing the MP’s to pay since most have willingly complied, although he refused to give the exact figure.

“From first July, tomorrow the judiciary too will start paying their taxes” Waweru said although he was clear if their remittance could be backdated to august last year when the new constitution was promulgated