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{
    "id": 1061419,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1061419/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 152,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. David ole Sankok (",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": "As Hon. Wanga has rightly put it, the digital market is growing in innovation. It is a market that can mutate within months. As we put these Regulations in place, we should also be aware that they keep on changing. What we are regulating now may not apply to the digital platform in the near future. There has been a lot of unfair competition for our shopkeepers and those who have physical space to sell their merchandise. You find that they cumulatively pay taxes amounting to almost 30 per cent of what they are selling. They pay VAT of almost 16 per cent and also have to pay for county licences. You will find that cumulatively, it amounts to 30 per cent. You can imagine someone from abroad selling a commodity that costs Kshs1 million on a digital platform and a person who has physical space will have to add 30 per cent on top due to taxes, which means they will spend Kshs1.3 million. For them to make a profit, they must sell the commodity at Kshs1.4 million. However, for someone who does not pay any taxes, they can sell that commodity at Kshs1.1 million and still make a profit of Kshs100,000. Therefore, it is very unfair competition. The digital marketing strategy assists all of us. We can shop from the comfort of our homes. However, the Government must make money. We are not against our youth who are innovative. We are protecting them from international digital suppliers who may not be paying taxes, and therefore, will not assist us in improving our infrastructure. They earn a lot of money that develops other countries outside our region. That is why we say that they should pay taxes to assist the Government to implement some of the social amenities that we require. The digital market supply is very important especially for persons with disabilities. Our movement is not up to standard. We are very slow in moving. Sometimes it is very expensive for a person with disabilities to move from point A to B, even if it is only 500 metres. If you have a wheelchair, with the terrain that we have, even taking your merchandise to the market is very costly. You will have to pay someone to carry that merchandise while my brother Hon. Kizito can carry it on his back. I do not have the physical strength to carry merchandise, so I have to employ somebody to carry it. When those of us on wheelchairs go to the market, we have to pay fare for the wheelchair, ourselves and the person who pushes the wheelchair. It is very expensive. This digital marketing strategy has solved most of our problems because we can be businesspeople from the comfort of our homes. We can sell or buy our merchandise digitally without necessarily moving from point A to B, because our movement is not that fast and efficient. We need to have these Regulations, so that we can earn taxes. We also need some regulations to support this innovation, so that we can move together with the world which has become a global village. With those many remarks, I support the Motion."
}