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{
    "id": 1441446,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1441446/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 192,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tinderet, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Julius Melly",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. At the outset, I rise to support this Bill which is quite progressive. I ask Members who have opted not to read the Report to do so. As part of the parliamentary procedures, you gave your guidance that every Bill that is tabled in the House procedurally goes to the relevant committee. The Committee, led by Hon. Kimani Kuria, did its work diligently. They met the public, stakeholders and Kenyans who gave their suggestions on this Bill. Hon. Speaker, as we debate this Bill, we need to know that Hon. Kuria and Members of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning have made a raft of very progressive and important proposals and amendments. In fact, certain issues that are being discussed by Members on this Floor are not part of what the Committee recommended. It recommended several things, among them taxation of a certain nature. Let me just give the example of deleting certain clauses like clause 124 that is on motor vehicle tax. The Bill previously tabled in the House had proposals on taxing motor vehicles, bread and many other things. In its wisdom, having heard Kenyans and stakeholders, the Committee deleted most of those clauses. But Members have opted to address the public and Kenyans as if the Committee has not made its Report in the House. It is not good. Let me just go down and enumerate why I support this Bill. Clause 23 is on athletes. There was a proposal to tax income by athletes. The Committee went ahead and deleted that and asked that athletes be incentivised and be allowed to give income to this country from the monies they earn. On eco-tax, many imported items have been taxed to protect local manufacturers. The Kenya Association of Manufacturers and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance have said this all the time. That local manufacturers need to be protected against large well-established companies that can flood our markets. In doing so, we are not exporting jobs. I would just want Members to know that we export jobs to those nations by exporting our money when we buy from foreign countries. That is from last year's Finance Bill. We have stabilised the foreign exchange and brought inflation down. Looking at Clause 34A(1) and Clause 34B, the Committee proposed to delete taxes on aircraft spare parts and many other things. This is the reason Kenya is a hub in this region. Most countries in the region always maintain and service their aircrafts in this country. Clause 45 up to Clause 48 introduces eco-levy. This is to make sure that imported material from other countries are taxed to safeguard our climate and ensure there is a way to dispose things like phones and tyres. In this same clause, motorcycles, wheelchairs tyres or everything else are exempt since Kenyans at low levels are the ones that use them. This Bill is very important as we speak. It will serve this country very well. Therefore, I support. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}