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{
    "id": 1441543,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1441543/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 289,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John K. Mutunga",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "for us to engage in manufacturing and diversify sources of revenue in our economy, we must get money to invest. The only way we can get this money is through taxation. Sometimes, the imposition of taxes helps us in various ways. It increases the possibilities for employment. There are many Kenyans out there who are unemployed and we need to create jobs for them. There are specific provisions in the Report with varying taxes for instance, excise duty on potatoes, onions and table eggs. I want to dwell on this for one minute. Hon. Speaker, when we import potatoes, we make sure that our farmers do not produce. When we import onions, we export labour for our farmers and we bar them from producing. When we import table eggs, we make sure that our poultry farmers do not have market or cannot sell competitively. So, barring those ones through taxation and imposition of import duty is important. However, there is a specific egg that is excluded, and this is the viable egg. That is an input. It is not for the table. Hon. Speaker, eco levy has been introduced in some of the issues and I want to specifically dwell on the tyres. Many of the people speaking in the social media are alluding to the fact that tyres for the wheelbarrows, motorbikes and others have been taxed. The tax has been removed and it is important for Kenyans to know that the motorcycles that have got a duty on them are those that are imported when they are fully assembled, and not the ones that are assembled in Kenya. Specifically on agriculture Hon. Speaker, the VAT on cane transportation has been waived and this is important for purposes of reducing the cost to the farmers. Let me talk about the issue of alcoholic beverages. The movement from levying tax on the quantity of alcohol and specifically going to the alcohol content, is important because it will bar our young people from engaging in very concentrated alcoholic substances. There has been a proposal for exemption of duty in this Report, for beverages originating from sorghum, millet and cassava. What this does is basically to improve the production of those commodities and, therefore, encourage production of other beverages through them. Hon. Speaker, there has been improvement within the Report of disposable income. This is because, for instance, levying 5% of the gross income on the per diem as a waiver, will increase the disposable income, as opposed to the previous Ksh2,000. The inclusion of SHIF and the Housing Levy as statutory deductions also increases the disposable income. The final thing I would like to talk about is the motor vehicle circulation levy. This was a major issue and I had also proposed to bring an amendment on this issue. However, I am glad the Report has recognised that and did away with it. Hon. Speaker, this Report is balanced. We must raise some money. We cannot reduce everything and we cannot remove everything."
}