The Tax Appeals Tribunal has ordered Betway Kenya to pay taxes amounting to Sh158 million to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
The Tribunal ruled in favour of KRA in a case in which the international betting firm, M/S BlueJay Limited, trading as Betway Kenya objected to payment of various tax obligations amounting to Ksh158 million.
Betway Kenya wanted to stop KRA from demanding additional withholding tax on winnings derived from bets placed by punters and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) on the earnings of one of its employees Mr. John Felix Kittony, who the company alleged to have retained as an independent consultant.
The Tribunal ordered the company to pay all the taxes it had agreed to pay in regard to withholding tax on professional fees.
The taxes amounted to Ksh9.95 million, capital costs relating to research and processing costs of Ksh16.5 million.
The taxes also included outstanding withholding tax based on gross winnings of Ksh131.7 million, inclusive of penalty and interest at the time of assessment.