Tax payment at City Hall set to go online
An e-payment system set to be installed at City Hall soon will integrate all payment records making it hard for residents to evade remitting levies.
County Secretary Lilian Ndegwa, said payment for services will be interlinked and will reflect what is pending for individuals seeking to make payments for other services or taxes.
“People who will have defaulted on land rates but want to pay for a business permit, will not be issued as the system will show what has not been paid,” she said.
She spoke when she appeared before County Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday to answer questions on a December 2013 report by the Auditor General’s office.
Ms Ndegwa was taken to task on why the county was yet to redo the valuation roll which was denying the county government revenue.
“The current valuation roll was done a long time ago and denies the county potential to increase revenue collection,” said the Auditor General’s report.
The committee was however told that the review was a statutory procedure that follows from valuation laws.
However, the laws have since expired after the promulgation of the new Constitution but she added that they expect to table two new Bills at the County Assembly soon.
They are the Valuation for Rating Bill, 2014 and Nairobi City County Rating Bill, 2014.
Poor communication between the county and the Lands ministry has also led to inflated debts as some lands were subdivided and separate titles issued but City Hall wasn’t informed by Ardhi House.
The old plots continued to accrue rates and penalties resulting in an overstatement of rate debts.
“To deal with the high level of indebtedness to the county, the management has intensified debt collection activities by reconstituting the debt collection unit and is also formulating a new policy that will outline measures to deal with defaulters,” said Ms Ndegwa.
On creditors, she said a committee formed to authenticate Bills pending before the county came to office would deliver a report within three weeks.