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{
    "id": 1511407,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1511407/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 483,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute. This Bill is important to us. We all know exactly where we have come from, and we know the work the Committee has done to come to this point. We lost the Finance Bill, 2024. Since then, nothing has stopped. Salaries have been paid and obligations and development needs have been met. The greatest likely loser in such a circumstance is development. In our budgets, we normally consider recurrent costs and suspense accounts, and then consider what to put in development. In most cases, development suffers. Kenya’s development is likely to suffer this year. This particular initiative therefore is an innovative way of trying to recapture a lost opportunity. Kenya also lives among other countries. The other countries are growing and developing. We have a people who need development and opportunities. We cannot create opportunities without raising revenue. Finding innovative ways of raising revenue is important for this country. There are a few areas that I would like to highlight in this Bill because they need a rethink. The Committee needs to look at the essence of zero rating agro inputs, as compared to exemption. In my understanding, zero rating means there is a possibility of introducing taxes. We need to promote agricultural production in this country. To do that, we need to secure the sector. The safeguard measures we can put in place are those that make it difficult for us to easily introduce taxes. The Finance Bill, 2024, had very good provisions. For instance on raw materials on eggs production vis - à - vis finished products. We had proposed not to levy any taxes on eggs for chick production, but levy taxes on eggs meant for the table. In the same vein, let us look at the inputs and what is meant for the table."
}