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{
    "id": 1348023,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1348023/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 157,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Unfortunately, it is three in a population of 349 Members of the National Assembly and about 67 Senators. So, in a population of about 500 people, you can count three or four Members. If you go to the population outside there in our villages, it is the most vulnerable people in the society who are being taken advantage of. It is actually immoral that money is taken from the poorest of the poor. Gambling is made to look like one only needs Ksh10, Ksh30 or Ksh50. It has become customary for one to try their luck with Ksh10 in the morning, another Ksh10 at lunch time and another Ksh10 in the evening, then the following day they up their stakes to Ksh30 and the day after to Ksh50. They are then lured by being made to win Ksh100 with a bet of Ksh10. When one wins the Ksh100, they spend it in betting hoping that they will win Ksh1,000. The day they will win the Ksh1,000 will be after spending Ksh3,000. When they win Ksh5,000 they bet with it hoping that they will be the ones who will eventually win the half a million or one million shillings that is being promoted on television. I particularly support the provision to regulate the advertisement of gambling and betting so that we protect the most vulnerable. We will not just protect our youth and the elderly, but also the very poor in our society, who are being taken advantage of. Unfortunately, if you look at the people who run these gambling companies, they are people who are filthy rich. They are making more money from the poorest of the poor in our society. Therefore, we have an obligation to protect our poor people from being taken advantage of by ensuring that we have good laws that will protect them and will not make gambling look like it is a very good thing. I know that gambling is considered a sin in some religions. That is the reason why I said that in taxation, gambling should be classified as sin tax. We cannot encourage reduction of tax on gambling. I said that I completely disagree with that proposal. I know Hon. Wamacukuru, the Vice-Chair was here. I had indicated to the Committee that I disagree with the proposal in their Report to reduce tax on gambling. If anything, today we have an Excise Duty of 12 per cent that was in the last Finance Bill, which we passed in July this year. We had 5 per cent Withholding Tax. The Committee is proposing a tax cut of a gross of 17.5 per cent to 13 per cent. We cannot allow that during these difficult economic times. We should be looking for avenues to raise extra shillings. I will be proposing amendments to the Bill at the right time in relation to Clauses 45 and 46 on levies and taxes. With those remarks, I beg to move and request the Deputy Whip of the Majority Party, who is also a Member of the Committee, to second. She was designated by the Chair of the Committee to second. Thank you."
}