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The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has warned that smaller businesses could be excluded from world government’s plans to make business transactions digital. This is according to new research in which they have compared the success and failure of global attempts to digitalize tax. This is on the back of recent efforts by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to increase the tax net by targeting SMEs through introduction of measures such as levying of presumptive taxes. Commenting on the release of the report, ICAEW Technical Manager, David Lyford-Smith said that the risk of exclusion of the smaller business dents the chances of business being totally compliant. “The largest and most persistent issue in introducing the digitalization of tax is that of digital exclusion, which is common among small businesses. While the Government and the KRA can work to educate and provide resources for many affected by digital exclusion, total compliance remai...

A Kenyan seed company with extensive business activities across the East African region topped the Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa 2019. This is attributed to them playing a key role in raising smallholder farmer productivity, according to new research by the Amsterdam-based Access to Seeds Foundation. Kenya-based East African Seed, placed first, has grown its activities in the region since the first index was published in 2016.  According to this year’s edition of the index, East African Seed stood out for its robust strategies in servicing smallholder farmers, broad portfolio availability, research activities and a network of extension staff across multiple countries. The Access to Seeds Index 2019 – Eastern and Southern Africa evaluates the actions of 22 leading seed companies in Eastern and Southern Africa. Besides East African Seed and Zimbabwe’s Seed Co, Thailand’s East-West Seed, US-based Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDu...