The Kenya Revenue Authority headquarters at Times Towers in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Stamp Checker will be used to verify whether an excise stamp on excisable products are genuine.
The app would help combat illicit goods and boost revenue as well as protect buyers from harmful counterfeit goods.
The application is available for download on Google Play Store for Android devices and Apple Store for iOS devices.
Consumers of excisable goods can check if the products on shelves are genuine through a smartphone application the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) launched on Wednesday.
The app dubbed Stamp Checker will be used to verify whether an excise stamp on excisable products such beers, cigarettes and wine are genuine and by extension from a licensed manufacturer.
The KRA said the use of the app would help combat illicit goods and boost revenue as well as protect buyers from harmful counterfeit goods.
“This is basically the transfer of power from the government to the public to have the authority to verify what they are purchasing and thereby assisting not just themselves but the government as well in protecting revenue and life,” Caxton Masudi, chief manager of market surveillance said.
The application is available for download on Google Play Store for Android devices and Apple Store for iOS devices.
The use of electronically readable excise stamps is currently only on wines, spirits, tobacco and beer with KRA yet to introduce it on soft drinks and bottled water.
Commissioner for Domestic Taxes Benson Korongo said overall excise taxes for the year ended June grew by 28 per cent to Sh48.9 billion but revenue under goods bearing the new excise stamps jumped 43 per cent, adding Sh8 billion.
The app is part of reforms by KRA as it looks to meet the Sh1.33 trillion tax target it has been given by the Treasury.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
