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{
    "id": 1508284,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1508284/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 84,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Sabina Chege",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Yes, I am the Whip of the Jubilee Party, in case someone did not know, and just to let you know that the Temporary Speaker is also a member of the Jubilee Party. We are also the third largest party in this House. I rise to support the Bill. I will highlight a few things. I commend the National Treasury for reaching out to the public in order to find out what they really want in the payment of taxes. If Kenyans are committed to remitting taxes on time, we might not even add more taxes. We can survive on what we have. This Bill also addresses the shortcuts people look for. There are clear guidelines on what to do and by what time. Amnesty, penalties and timelines have been addressed. This is very important. People in business who want to seek amnesty, tax holiday, or are indisposed can write to the Commissioner. I support the Member who said that somebody can fall sick and not be in a position to remit their taxes. There should be a provision for such a case. Taxes are not liked. In the Bible, tax collectors were not loved. But it is also in the Bible that we are told to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God. Once we have clarity on how to pay taxes, we will collect more and not harass people. At the same time, I pray that whatever is collected from the people goes to proper use. Clause 5 of the Bill seeks to amend Section 42 of the principal Act. It says that a person who is required to withhold tax but without reasonable cause fails to withhold the whole amount of the tax or fails to remit the withheld tax to the Commissioner by the fifth working day after the deduction is made shall be liable to a penalty of 10 per cent of the amount not withheld or not remitted. Some tax collectors harass people by telling them that if they give something, the tax collector can give them something back. Individuals will know what to expect when there is clarity in the percentage. One is expected to pay by the fifth working day after the deduction is made. It is important that the people meant to remit tax do so. Clause 6 is on the issue of refund of overpaid tax. The Clause seeks to amend section 47 of the Act by providing that a refund of overpaid income tax will be done within five years, while a refund of any other overpaid tax will be done within six months. The other issue is reducing human contact by using technology. Sometimes, there is a lot of human contact not only in tax collection but even in the collection of parking fees. There were days when you would park your car in town, and the parking attendant would hide so that you look for them. Because you are hurrying to a certain office, they would clamp your car so that you can cough something out. Therefore, the removal of human interaction through technology is commendable. With technology, there are loopholes. We hope the technology will be secure so that tax money collected will not disappear. Technology has its challenges as well. The last thing I want to comment on is very important to taxpayers. It is about a transaction for which a PIN is required and why every Kenyan, especially those of age, need a PIN. It is important for people to know that to register a title or stamp instrument, you require a PIN. If approval of development plans is required for anybody who wants to build or pay a water deposit, it requires a PIN. You can imagine how many Kenyans pay for water. Kenyans need to know that the First Schedule provides clarity on transactions for which a PIN will be required. Registration, licensing, and transfer of motor vehicles, as well as registration of business names and companies, require a PIN. Last week, we debated the issue of start-ups and encouraged young people to come up with start-ups. We even discussed how the youth can be assisted. Young people need to know they require a PIN to register a business name or company, underwrite insurance, acquire a trading license, import goods, customs clearing and forwarding, and pay deposits for power connections."
}