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Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka has joined the list of tax-compliant Kenyans by paying his tax today at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) headquarters at Times Towers as stipulated in the constitution.

30/06/2011

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



Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka has joined the list of tax-compliant Kenyans by paying his tax today at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) headquarters at Times Towers.

Mr. Kalonzo and his entourage left his Jogoo House A offices at about 12:45pm to pay his taxes amounting to Ksh. 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” The Vice President said in a press statement attended by the media and KRA officials.

“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 totaling to Ksh. 4,423,000.

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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 gimmick for the 2012 elections but a way of implementing the new constitution.

During his press statement 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 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

Mr. Manuel Odeny is a Kenyan Blogger at The Burning Splint, to read more of his articles log onto: www.theburningsplint.blogspot.com