Tighten noose around tax evaders, Atwoli and Sossion say

All tax evaders should be tracked down and brought to book. This is the message that COTU Secretary General, Francis Atwoli, along with his KNUT counterpart Wilson Sossion, had to pass to Kenya at the Labour Day fete marked on Friday.

Mr Sossion said according to a comprehensive study of tax rates in Kenya, Kenyan workers are heavily taxed. It came out that many employers tax their employees heavily but evade paying tax themselves.

Francis Atwoli, who is the longest serving COTU boss and KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion claim tax evasion stands between Sh137 and 145 billion. The two urged the government to tighten the noose about the tax evaders to recover the revenue lost each year to tax evaders.

Apart from national revenue, COTU was pushing for a 20% minimum wage increment, for which President Uhuru Kenyatta granted a 12% raise.