El régimen fiscal de Kenia para el sector de petróleo y gas: una perspectiva fiscal internacional para la política y los desafíos prácticos
| Autor | Anne Wanyagathi Maina |
| Cargo | Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Masters of Arts in Tax policy and Tax Administration |
| Páginas | 203-219 |
203
Revista de Derecho Fiscal n.º 14 • enero-junio de 2019 • pp. 203-219
The Kenyan tax regime for the Oil
and Gas Sector: An International Tax
Perspective to Policy and Practical
Challenges*
El régimen fiscal de Kenia para
el sector de petróleo y gas: una
perspectiva fiscal internacional para
la política y los desafíos prácticos
aNNe WaNyagathi MaiNa1
* DOI: https://doi.org/10.18601/16926722.n14.10
1 Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Masters of Arts in Tax policy and Tax Administration. E-
mail:wanyagathi@yahoo.com
Abbreviations and Acronyms
beps Base Erosion and Profit Shifting
ebitda Earnings Before Interest Income
and Expense, Depreciation And
Amortisation
epzs Export Processing Zones
fhtp Forum on Harmful Tax Practices
gdp Gross Domestic Product
ip Intellectual Property
ita Income Tax Act
knbs Kenya National Bureau of Statis-
tics
mnes Multinational Enterprises
nri Natural Resource Income
oecd Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development
pepa Petroleum (Exploration and Pro-
duction) Act
psc Production Sharing Contract
sezs Special Economic Zones
vat Value Added Tax
wdi World Development Indicators
Abstract
Many countries, especially the develop-
ing countries, offer various tax incentives
to attract foreign investment for sectoral
growth and development. This phenomenon
presents even more in the extractive industry
because the sector is not only highly spe-
cialized but is also capital and technology
intensive. There is currently a major concern
of illicit financial flow from Africa and the
threat it posess on domestic resource mobi-
lization. The Mbeki report (2015) highlights
tax incentives, abuse of tax treaties, transfer
204
Revista de Derecho Fiscal n.º 14 • enero-junio de 2019 • pp. 203-219
Anne Wanyagathi Maina
pricing, weak tax administrations, poorly
designed tax regimes and poorly negotiated
extractive contracts as some of the main
causes of illicit financial flows. It follows
that granting tax incentives, especially if not
properly designed, to the extractive industry
can exacerbate the problem.
Eastern Africa has in recent years become
an area of interest for many international oil
and gas companies. Oil was discovered in
Uganda and Kenya in 2006 and 2012, re-
spectively, while Tanzania and Mozambique
have vast gas reserves (Augé, 2015). This
presents an opportunity for the region to pre-
pare the ground by putting in place the right
legislative framework to benefit fully from
the extractive activities. The paper examines
the policy and practical challenges of the oil
and gas tax regime from an international tax
perspective. The paper analyzes tax incen-
tives available in the oil and gas sector and
whether they are harmful or not within the
scope oecd beps Action 5, international tax
risk areas, available interventions in the cur-
rent law, and makes policy recommendation.
The tax regime has addressed most of
the international tax risk areas. The ita re-
quires arm’s length pricing of transactions.
Tax incentives should target specific indus-
tries, apply for a limited time period, leave
little room for personal discretion, and be
reviewed to ensure their efficiency and ef-
fectiveness. The ita has Transfer Pricing
Rules, Ring-fencing rules, thin capitalization
rules and provides for taxation of net gain on
indirect transfers However, there are chal-
lenges such as inadequate capacity to audit
costs, lack of quality comparables data, ex-
ploitation of the debt to equity ratio interest
restriction through increasing capital, and
dispute resolution. The paper recommends
building more capacity, enhancement of
legislation and cooperation between govern-
ment agencies to keep up with the growing
needs of the industry.
Keywords: Tax Incentives, Extractive
Industry, Oil & Gas.
Resumen
Muchos países, especialmente los países
en desarrollo, ofrecen diversos incentivos
fiscales para atraer inversiones extranjeras
para el crecimiento y el desarrollo sectorial.
Este fenómeno se presenta aún más en la
industria extractiva porque el sector no solo
es altamente especializado, sino que tam-
bién es intensivo en capital y tecnología.
Actualmente existe una gran preocupación
por el flujo financiero ilícito de África y la
amenaza que representa para la movilización
de recursos nacionales. El informe Mbeki
(2015) destaca los incentivos fiscales, el
abuso de los tratados tributarios, los precios
de transferencia, las administraciones tribu-
tarias débiles, los regímenes tributarios mal
diseñados y los contratos extractivos mal
negociados como algunas de las principales
causas de los flujos financieros ilícitos. De
ello se deduce que otorgar incentivos fiscales
a la industria extractiva, especialmente si no
están diseñados adecuadamente, puede exa-
cerbar el problema.
África oriental se ha convertido en los últi-
mos años en un área de interés para muchas
compañías internacionales de petróleo y gas.
El petróleo se descubrió en Uganda y Kenia
en 2006 y 2012, respectivamente, mientras
que Tanzania y Mozambique tienen vastas
reservas de gas (Augé, 2015). Esto presenta
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