Insight type: Legal Alert

This legal alert highlights the provisions of the Employment Code (Exemption) Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 48 of 2020 (the Exemption Regulations) which came into effect on 11 May 2020 pursuant to Gazette Notice No. 394 of 2020.

The Finance Bill, 2020 was published on 5 May 2020 (the Bill) to make amendments to a raft of laws in Kenya, including the Income Tax Act, the Value Added Tax Act, of 2013, the Tax Procedures Act, of 2015, the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act, 2016 and the Excise Duty Act, 2015 among others.

 

 

For the first time in Kenya, the Competition Tribunal has made a ruling which reversed or amended merger conditions that had been imposed by the Competition Authority of Kenya as part of its approval to a transaction, in an application filed by ALN Kenya | Anjarwalla & Khanna on behalf of Telkom Kenya and Airtel.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a challenge for companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (the NSE) which have had to postpone general meetings (GMs) due to the ban on public gatherings in Kenya. This has meant that listed companies cannot hold physical GMs as they have done traditionally.

 

The Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (the Bill) underwent its second and third reading in Parliament on 22 April 2020.

 

The Tax Amendment Bill, 2020 (the Tax Bill) seeks to amend a number of laws to (amongst other things) address and mitigate the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya.

 

Until an emergency or an unexpected event occurs, the majority of us postpone certain tasks as our mindset is that it can always be done later; there are other more “important” things to focus on.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread economic shocks across the world. In view of the various constraints relating to the pandemic, businesses are concerned that their ability to comply in a timely manner with various statutory obligations may be impaired during this period.

 

The Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was published on 30 March 2020 (the Bill) to make amendments to tax-related laws in Kenya including the Income Tax Act (CAP 470), the Value Added Tax Act, 2013, the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act, 2015 and the Excise Duty Act, 2015. The National Assembly will, on 8 April 2020, consider and vote on the Bill and forward it for assent to the President.

 

This note highlights the 6 month Amnesty Programme currently being conducted by the Zambian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).