HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 245042,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/245042/?format=api",
"text_counter": 172,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Wetangula",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant for Foreign Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 210,
"legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
"slug": "moses-wetangula"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Chairman Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I want to support this Motion on taxation. I have only one or two things to point out. When I contributed to the Budget Speech, I expressed my displeasure on the issue of the Sugar Development Levy. We hon. Members from sugar growing areas know that the introduction of the Sugar Development Levy was a punitive measure against sugar importers. Indeed, it is this levy that has made imported sugar bear a higher price than that of local sugar. The proposal to amend the law relating to the Sugar Development Levy is totally unacceptable to those of us who represent sugar cane farmers. We are now giving a free hand to sugar importers to enjoy a tax break of up to 7 per cent. We are talking of people who import sugar worth billions of shillings. When you talk of removal of 7 per cent tax on a consignment of sugar amounting to 100,000 tonnes, you are handing over billions of shillings to its importers. That is the money that would have been used to support the sugar-cane industry. I want to plead with my brother, the Minister for Finance, to impose the Sugar Development Levy on imported sugar. All the sugar imported into this country should bear the Sugar Development Levy, otherwise the Minister's action will not promote the interests of sugar cane farmers. The taxation measures we are debating here will have devastating effects on the sugar cane industry. It is going to \"kill\" sugar-cane farmers. I heard the Minister say that other crops are also taxed. But in relation to coffee taxation, he only referred to cess. Sugar cane farmers also pay cess over and above the Sugar Development Levy. Although he said this levy will be operational from January 2007, I urge all my colleagues 1784 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 4, 2006 from sugar-cane growing areas to talk boldly on this matter, because we are going to annihilate, economically, the people we represent. This is not right. I wish to plead with the Minister to reconsider this issue. He said that he would carry out wide consultations on it. I wish to inform him that my voice is that of all my colleagues from the sugar cane growing areas. This is something we should address. Mr. Chairman, Sir, I also wish to support the increase in the fuel levy. Contrary to what hon. Kipchumba said, the state of roads in this country is horrible. What we want is our roads to be improved. Many Kenyans are ready to pay tax provided they get value for it. If the extra Kshs3 billion that we will raise from the fuel price increase is used to repair our roads, we will see no reason why it should not be levied. Mr. Chairman, Sir, it is impractical, in terms of administration, to say that tractor owners and posho mill owners are exempted from paying levy on diesel. How do you police such a measure? It is simply not possible. Secondly, the trucks that destroy our roads; and whose owners must be taxed, all use diesel. All the heavy trucks that carry goods to Uganda, Rwanda and other countries use diesel and if a tax is going to be imposed on fuel, then it must cut across board. It is unfortunate that everybody will be caught in the net, but what we require of the Minister for Finance and his colleagues in line Ministries is that money should be put to good use. Once that is done every Kenyan, including hon. Kipchumba, will now have fun driving to his constituencies. Doing that now is a nightmare. Mr. Chairman, Sir, all we want is our roads to be fixed. Once the roads are good, the time it takes to travel from Nairobi to Bungoma will be much less. Prudence will require that the owners of public vehicles reduce the cost of travelling. Mr. Chairman, Sir, with those remarks and a passionate plea to my colleague to deal with the Sugar Development Levy, I beg to support."
}