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{
    "id": 1142926,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1142926/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 158,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Wilson Sossion",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13171,
        "legal_name": "wilson sossion",
        "slug": "wilson-sossion"
    },
    "content": "away some of its responsibilities. It is not creation of efficiencies, but responsibilities of NITA, which is critical. This mandate is under the direct jurisdiction of the cabinet secretary. The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) will be more efficient if it carries out this function. Those were our key considerations as a Committee. I plead with the House to be a bit considerate. As a Committee, we felt that there is no proper justification to transfer the mandate to assess and collect levies to the Kenya Revenue Authority. The National Industrial Training Authority is the ideal institution best-placed to know the skill and needs of the industry and how much is required to fund the trainings. Therefore, that responsibility should still remain with NITA. The Ease of Doing Business Reforms, 2020/2021 propose the creation of a conducive environment for doing business through various interventions in the legal framework. The proposals were implemented through the Business Laws (Amendment) (No.2) Act of 2021 under Section 5(b) that provides for actual collection of industrial training levies. The proposal to set the due date of payment of training levies to be the 5th of every month will result in enforcement and compliance challenges due to numerous due dates for remittance of various taxes and levies such as Pay As You Earn (PAYE), the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) contributions. In any event, the amendments in the current Bill have been overtaken by events noting the change from monthly to annual collection. There is no proper justification to increase the fees payable. The training levy of Kshs50 per employee per month was assessed as sufficient by stakeholders and NITA and should be retained as such. The fee is set by the cabinet secretary in the Regulations. For efficiency, fees are provided for in subsidiary legislation which is easier to revise without subjecting the same through a complex process of amendment in Parliament. We should be very cautious. If we elevate this from regulation to law, we are creating unnecessary barriers. In effect, we will be making NITA ineffective. There is no proper justification to empower KRA to assess penalties because the role it plays is that of revenue collection as an agent of NITA. Further, the penalty for default is already provided for in an Act as 5 per cent per month on the amount in default on any employee. Clause 3 as proposed by Hon. Jude Njomo will not be good and, therefore, should be deleted. We will make NITA ineffective if we accept this amendment. That is the considered advice of the Committee."
}