The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Reconnaissance are co-hosting the Tax Stamp Forum this year which will be held in Africa for the first time. The event will be held from 7 to 9 May 2018, in Nairobi.
The Tax Stamp Forum is a global event that concentrates on “strategic and practical solutions to protect government revenues and combat the illicit trade in goods.” Kenya’s role in hosting the event signifies its reputation in the world with regards to adopting innovative and facilitative technologies in promoting service delivery including tax compliance.
The forum will discuss the latest developments in tax stamp systems and the best practices in developing and applying tax stamp programmes. In addition, the new tax stamp standard and the latest advancements in smartphone apps for use in verification of tax stamps and products will also be discussed at the event.
The forum will convene government excise and customs agencies, law enforcers, investigators, manufacturers, distributors, security printers, regulators, and other supply chain specialists. Furthermore, the event will entail panel discussions, speeches, and interviews.
The aim of implementing the tax stamp programmes is to “control the production and importation of excisable goods for revenue purposes.” Additionally, the programme specifically aims to control under-declaration of imports, illegal production, smuggling, counterfeiting, and distribution of illicit goods.
There are more than 150 revenue agencies that use tax stamps in the world to collect valuable tax duties and excise fees with nearly 140 billion stamps being produced yearly.
KRA improved its excise stamp programme by introducing a smartphone app called Soma Label with the aim of increasing enforcement to the public and other law enforcement agencies. Through the programme, KRA has seized more than 1.5 million products and prosecuted over 609 wrongdoers.
