Customer inclusion is inevitable in tax administration

Once again, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is planning to mark the taxpayers' month celebrations this October.

A look at this year's theme provokes an interesting theme, "Leaving no one behind." Given that payment of taxes is a civic duty, one is curious to enquire about who can be left behind.

The framers of the 2010 Constitution anticipated this when they placed the citizen at the centre of governance. The constitution acknowledges patriotism, national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and participation of the people as national values and principles of governance. Consequently, it has empowered citizens to demand greater transparency and accountability from public institutions.

Article 232(1) (d) and (f) stipulate the values and principles of public service, including "involvement of the people in the process of policymaking and transparency and provision to the public of timely, accurate information".

This calls for the adoption of customer-led strategies to enhance service delivery.

An analysis of the customer journey indicates taxpayers want excellent and convenient service delivery and education on new tax policies and processes.

Similarly, the adoption of technology empowers customers with the ability to choose their preferred service platform, improving the quality of service and convenience. This has informed the development of the KRA Service Excellence Programme.

It promotes the adoption of a multi-channelled, cost-optimal approach to customer service delivery. KRA's Corporate Stakeholder Engagement Model, adopted in 2015, provides a single point of contact for corporate stakeholders, accentuating commitment to facilitating the efficient resolution of concerns.

However, this approach comes with its fair share of challenges since public entities don't operate in isolation. Secondly, tax laws are considered complex implying varying interpretations among various stakeholders leading to lengthy litigations and dispute-resolution processes.

Nevertheless, these challenges are surmountable. For service delivery to be robust, stakeholder engagements must involve citizens affected by the issues.

This is by bringing on board industry players to build consensus. Tax literacy, customer inclusion and satisfaction in complaints management are key elements in championing inclusion.

The writer is deputy commissioner, marketing and communications at KRA