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{
    "id": 1565422,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565422/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 107,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "taxation is killing our people. Remember the dissent that we had last year from the young people over the finance Bill in this country because of taxation. This issue of increasing levies, whenever you walk to a coffee or a hustler kiosk here in Ngara and you look at the walls, they have become mosaic because of the many taxations that Kenyans are paying. We need to stop this culture that we can grow the country through overtaxing Kenyans. We need to overgrow that. You will see someone paying public health, they are paying the county government and the Music Copyright Society. When you look at the number of taxes that Kenyans pay, even at the smallest level, then we should do away with this taxation. This culture of double taxation is killing businesses in our counties. This is because if you are buying machine cut stones in Thika, before you enter Nakuru, they want you to pay cess. Before you enter Uasin Gishu, they want you to pay cess and before you enter Nandi, they still want you to pay more cess. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are killing the spirit of business by encouraging double taxation. This country will not grow because of double taxation. Therefore, I encourage that this issue of levies must stop. The reading of Articles 209 and 210 in as much as we need to arrogate powers to Parliament, Parliament must be seen to be alive to economic realities. If farmers continue or people who deal with coffee, you know what happens? The people who do coffee business do not care. They will just arrogate those taxes to the farmer. The farmer would have paid Kshs250 per kilogramme, we will pay Kshs200 per kilogramme because taxation is high and because we have to pay that taxation. I would like to say that there was lack of wisdom in introduction of this taxation path because Kenyans are tired with taxes. We only grow this country by creating an enabling environment. Mr. Speaker, Sir, point number four is on the issue of SRC. We are overstretching the mandate of the SRC. The business of SRC that was envisaged by the Constitution was very clear; to advise. Some of our co-operative societies in our villages run on losses. Some of them are being run by charity, where directors or people who run coffee societies are supporting as part of giving back to the community. If the SRC today says people who run coffee societies should be paid Kshs25,000, some of the coffee societies I know in Nandi County do not have that capacity. Why are we overstretching the mandate of SRC? SRC has never accounted for anything that they do. Remember they frustrated Members of County Assemblies (MCAs). I have never seen it. When it started in 2013, the money that was being given was more than 150, but now they have cut it down to 80. We are giving the SRC powers they do not have. We should not allow them to do anything, because they their work is to advise based on the economy performance. So, when you introduce the SRC on the role that we are having, then that is unfair. On the issue of the SRC, let them allow the county coffees to be run by the board's management that we have. The other factor is that the board of directors shall be paid as the SRC shall determine. The coffee sector is on its knees, let us allow it to regulate itself and agree because I do not know why Members of National Assembly want to introduce this issue of SRC in this. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}