Couple charged with evading tax worth over Sh42m

A man and his wife have been charged with failing to file correct tax returns for four years.

Joseph Ouma, Rebeca Akinyi and their company, Jomoyosh Contractors, are accused of unlawfully making incorrect statements in their income tax returns amounting to Sh42,286,603.

Mr Ouma faces nine counts of entering incorrect tax returns amounting to Sh41,087,414 while Ms Akinyi is accused of failure to file Sh1,199,189 in tax returns on various dates between 2015 and 2019.

The two denied the charges before Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Vincent Adet yesterday.

Ouma was released on a Sh2 million bond or an alternative Sh500,000 cash bail while his wife was given bond of Sh1 million or cash bail of Sh200,000.

Ouma is accused that between January and June this year, he filed incorrect statements in his tax returns for 2018 that reduced Jomoyosh Contractors corporate tax liability to Sh6,476,594.

It is alleged that between January 15 and June 30 last year, he filed incorrect statements of his income tax returns for the year 2017 thus reducing his company's corporate tax liability by Sh6,704,525.

He is also accused of reducing his firm's tax bill in the two previous years.

His wife was charged that on or about June 30, 2016 she defaulted on her tax obligations by failing to file and remit her income taxes for 2015.

The case is scheduled for pre-trial hearing on December 9.