KRA gets power to raid homes without police
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 9:27 BY MUGAMBI MUTEGI
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has acquired new powers to independently raid business premises and homes of suspected tax cheats for evidence without the backing of the police.
The Finance Bill 2017, which was released Tuesday, has amended the law to enable the taxman initiate investigations and use seized material as evidence in court without relying on the police whom the taxman accuses of bungling cases.
“The authorised (KRA) officer shall have power to enter and search any premises or vessels and seize, collect and detain evidence and produce such evidence in any proceedings before a court of law or tax appeals tribunal,” the Bill says.
Raids are usually the last course of action that is taken if a suspected tax cheat ignores repeated requests to submit documentation or other materials.
KRA officers have traditionally enjoyed these powers but had to be accompanied by police officers for protection and support of investigations as well as prosecution of the cases in court or before a tax tribunal.
Police presence
Treasury secretary Henry Rotich last year amended the law and introduced new provisions that appeared to take away the KRA’s search and seizure powers while simultaneously dropping the requirement for police presence.
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