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"id": 216574,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ahenda",
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"legal_name": "Paddy Ahenda",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir. Let me just add my voice to a few things that I would like the Minister to take note of. I am a strong supporter of the East African Community (EAC). Therefore, I would like the hon. Minister to look into the taxation as far as the members of the partner states are concerned. The time has come when we should look at all members of the EAC as members of one family. Therefore, there should be no tax regimes that favour Kenyans, as opposed to citizens from other member countries. This, actually, will enhance the way forward for the EAC. Taxation, actually, is meant to stimulate growth, but not hamper it. If there is a tax regime that is hampering the industrial growth of a nation, then that is not a good tax regime. I would like the Minister to reconsider the tax that he has imposed on recycled batteries. The measure proposed by the Minister is actually retarding growth. When you want to industrialize, you must start with small ventures. You start from recycled products and then move to bigger things. If deterrent measures or tax regimes are imposed on recycled batteries, that is retarding development. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, on taxation of white sugar, as I mentioned earlier, any tax regime in this country must be geared towards industrialisation. Imposing taxation on this imported white sugar is not helping us at all. We can also start producing white sugar locally. The Minister should have looked into it instead of just imposing levies on it. He should impose higher taxation on this white industrial sugar from outside, so that he encourages local production of the sugar. This is the only way we can help develop the sector. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, I have no problem with the hon. Minister imposing tax on cigarettes. However, I would urge him to tax heavily the non-filter cigarettes because they contain more nicotine. In fact, they are actually killing more of our people than the filtered cigarettes. It is rather unique that he did not impose tax on these cigarettes. I agree with him that all brands of cigarettes should be heavily taxed. As one of hon. Member said, we could save more money on medical bills by imposing deterrent measures on the nicotine consumers. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, on hides and skins, the East African Community (EAC) should be looked at as one single country. Therefore, the hides and skins that are bypassing 2152 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 28, 2007 across the borders should be tax-exempt. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, on the health sector, using Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) we have put up a very good health centre. I imported medical equipment for it. Are such medical facilities also tax exempt or it is only the big hospitals that get this tax exemption? I would like the Minister to look at this and allow our small dispensaries and health centres to import medical facilities without paying tax. We know Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) is capable of paying duty. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, generally, these were very good taxation measures. Let them not be referred as \"election taxation measures\". Otherwise, let us have elections every year, so that the Minister can keep cool the way he is, these days. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}