Nairobi: The National Treasury has unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the tax burden, enhancing transparency, and supporting economic growth in Kenya. These measures include digitizing key functions and broadening the tax base to include previously untapped sectors, according to Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. According to Kenya News Agency, during a press briefing at the Treasury Building in Nairobi, Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning, John Mbadi, highlighted the government's plans to overhaul the taxation system by identifying new taxable areas. This move is expected to not only increase government revenues but also ensure a fair distribution of the tax burden. "The government through the National Treasury must come up with a tax base as there are a number of taxable areas that the ministry has not been targeting," Mbadi stated. He further revealed the initiation of the digitization of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), which is intended to streamline tax collectio n and broaden the country's tax base in alignment with Kenya's economic agenda. Additionally, the National Treasury has digitized public procurement processes to enforce good governance and transparency, which are seen as crucial steps in combating corruption. "We want to automate our system for budgeting procurement which would in turn discourage theft of public funds," Mbadi explained. Following consultations with the Office of the President, several reforms have been agreed upon, including system enhancements to aid KRA in more efficient tax collection. Another significant measure introduced by the ministry is the settlement of pending bills to increase market liquidity, thereby creating job opportunities, especially for the youth. Mbadi also touched on the discussions aimed at reducing lending rates demanded by banks from the private sector. "We want the interest rates to come down so that banks could give more money to private businesses. This will be made possible by lowering the Central Bank Rates ( CBR)," he emphasized. In a bid to promote accountability, the government has also rolled out an accrual accounting system, ensuring that all government liabilities are recorded in the National Treasury's balance sheets when generating financial statements. These comprehensive reforms by the National Treasury are expected to foster a healthier economic environment by promoting transparency, enhancing tax collection, and supporting the education sector, thus offering more employment opportunities and combating corruption.