The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced four major updates to its Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS) aimed at enhancing taxpayer experience and simplifying compliance.
In a statement on Wednesday, February 26, KRA highlighted the key changes, including self-onboarding for taxpayers, the ability to use multiple eTIMS solutions simultaneously, improved invoice accessibility across different platforms and enhanced integration with third-party systems.
According to the statement, KRA has eliminated the need for KRA approval when applying for eTIMS, meaning taxpayers can now apply for any eTIMS solutions without needing KRA intervention.
"The system upgrade allows for self-onboarding by eliminating the requirement for eTIMS approval of taxpayer applications by KRA. This means that taxpayers can now apply for any of the available eTIMS solutions without requiring intervention from KRA. The taxpayer will receive a text message confirming the application as being successful," KRA said.
Additionally, taxpayers can now use multiple eTIMS solutions simultaneously, allowing them to generate invoices using different platforms based on their needs.
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"The improvements made on eTIMS will also enable taxpayers to use the different eTIMS solutions simultaneously to generate invoices at their convenience. For instance, taxpayers using eTIMS Client as their primary invoicing solution can now add the portal as a secondary invoicing option and vice versa. This change eliminates the need for KRA’s approval to facilitate changes of devices or solutions," KRA explained.
Further, the upgraded system enables users to access invoices generated across various eTIMS solutions, including the eTIMS Client, System to System integration solutions and the eCitizen portal.
KRA noted that each solution will have its own unique invoice sequence to maintain accuracy.
"eTIMS now allows taxpayers to access all invoices generated from different eTIMS solutions such as eTIMS Client, System to System integration solutions (VSCU & OSCU) and the eCitizen portal through the online taxpayer portal. Each solution will have its own invoice sequence to keep every invoice unique.
"However, credit notes can only be generated from the solution where the original invoice was raised. This synchronization enhances the accuracy and consistency of tax invoice data across platforms as it harmonizes data across multiple solutions," KRA stated.
Finally, businesses using System to System integration can now link with more than one third-party integrator, increasing operational flexibility.
"In addition, taxpayers using the System to System integration approach as their primary solution can now integrate with more than one third-party integrator. This flexibility allows taxpayers to add a secondary device from another integrator by adding a branch under the Device Management section accessed through their online portal," KRA further said.
