Airtel is looking at avenues to increase it’s importance to the Kenyan citizen after it today signed up a deal with Kenya Revenue Authority to give it’s subscribers an opportunity to pay for their taxes via Airtel Money just hours after it signed up a similar deal with MOGAS Uganda.
The deal will see susbscribers inquire for KRA services, generate KRA payment reference number (PRN or an e-slip/invoice number) and make quick simple payments through Airtel Money by simply dialing the short code *572#.
The service beings convenience, flexibility and time saving for the firms subscribers instead of wasting time in KRA banking halls to queue to pay their taxes.
All services to be paid for require a KRA payment reference number (PRN or an e-slip/invoice number), which can either be acquired on their website –iTax or on mobile phone. Currently KRA have availed Traffic revenue Service payments e-slip generation through mobile. These includes: Driving License application and renewal payments, Mobile Vehicle Transfer, Logbook payments and Motor vehicle inspection payments. The rest of the services require citizens to go to KRA website – iTax to generate an e-slip number that will facilitate payment through Airtel money.
To make payments using Airtel Money, simply dial *572# and select option 2 for payments, enter your PRN (e-slip number) any your secret Airtel Money PIN to complete the payment. An SMS notification will be sent from both Airtel Money and KRA to confirm successful payment. KRA business systems are updated in real-time as soon as the taxpayer receives the confirmation messages. KRA services can be paid through Airtel Money for amount of up to Kshs140, 000 per day. The charges to the customers are very minimal and vary from Ksh. 10 to Ksh. 270 based on amounts being paid.
Airtel Money allows for mobile phone top ups, data purchase and bill payments and buy goods and services options and withdraw cash at selected Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
In a statement Airtel Kenya CEO Adil El Youssefi said,“Airtel will continue to partner with corporate and government entities as it seeks to revolutionize its services and more importantly provide customers with convenient, fast and secure options of transacting on Airtel Money.”
Airtel is so far behind it’s counterpart Safaricom which has pushed it’s M-PESA mobile money services to almost a neccessity to all retailers and merchants. The entry of Equitel will also give an edge over Airtel’s Mobile money so it has all reasons to move faster that it has been.
In October 2012, KRA announced it would allow M-PESA payments to renew driving licenses as well as other taxation payments.