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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has advised the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) against harassing taxpayers during the collection of taxes.

Speaking at the Movenpick hotel in Westlands on Friday, October 28, 2022, the DP asked the taxman to be more compassionate to taxpayers for more revenue.

He likened the situation to a dairy farmer taking care of his cow’s needs and being compassionate in order for it to produce more milk.

“Taxpayers are your dairy cows, those who have done dairy farming know that for a cow to give you milk you have to be very nice with them, you have to give it some hay, some daily meal, milk it with some good oil so that it is feeling good,

“We have told KRA to look at taxpayers the way look you look at dairy cows to continue producing milk, there is no cow that will produce milk if you are pricking it or shouting at it, it will refuse with the milk” Gachagua stated.

He further alluded that the Kenya Kwanza administration has urged the tax man to create a friendly tax regime for the benefit of the country.

“We have told KRA to create a friendly tax regime, the issue of closing factories for tax payers who are suffering is a thing of the past because it is foolish,” he stated.

The second-in-command further highlighted the key issues in regard to the closure of accounts that fail to meet tax expectations.

“The issue of tax notices and agencies notices where you close an account, if you shut down an account for six months, somebody cannot do business where will you collect tax the following year for the benefit of the country,”

“When you shut down a factory, those employees lose their jobs they were paying PAYE where will you get the money from?” Gachagua posed.