Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1043742,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1043742/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 89,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Garissa Township, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Aden Duale",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "There is a revenue shortfall which is about Kshs840 billion to make sure that the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in our country and the employment sector where many have had their salaries cut by 50 percent and others sent on unpaid leave have a stimulus and a way of survival. As a House, we must be alive to reality. There are many stories that this Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill is as a result of pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who have forced and agreed with the National Treasury to do away with Income Tax, VAT and Excise levies that we reduced earlier this year. To close the gap between the Budget that the Minister for Finance read to this House and the revenue that is estimated to be accrued, this House has to make a decision today. I really wanted to speak on extension of sitting time and ask the Leader of the Majority Party… The problem here is that you can extend sitting time up to 9.00 O’clock but, by the time you finish business, the number of Members will have reduced to below 50 and you will not be able to put the Question. The Leaders of the Majority and Minority parties should have asked their Members to, at least, stay. It is better we stay until 7.00 p.m. and utilise that time properly. You can extend time, but from my experience, it is good to extend time when it is not a Special Sitting because you will have the next day or week. Today, Members will not be here. Even if we sit up to 8.00 or 9.00 O’clock, we will have a problem if we do not have quorum. My view as a leader is that the economy is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We have to make a choice. Do we remove the machines supporting the economy and then it collapses or, do we pass this Bill so that the economy can survive for a few months in anticipation of the COVID- 19 pandemic to die off? The other choice is to borrow, but I am not for that idea. We are already at more than Kshs7 trillion. The reductions we did on VAT and all the other taxes did not trickle down to our people. So, we will support the bringing up of the 14 per cent to 16 per cent and see how we do. The choice is between two evils. Do we borrow? I am not for that idea. If you weigh the economy, it is in the ICU. So, how do you bring it back to High Dependency Unit (HDU)? It is by supporting this Bill. I want to urge leaders--- The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}