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{
    "id": 245065,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/245065/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 195,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Kibunguchy",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Health",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 294,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Wamalwa Kibunguchy",
        "slug": "enoch-kibunguchy"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Sir, for giving me this chance. I will be very brief. I want to talk about the Value Added Tax (VAT), specifically about the tax registers. I have always thought that probably the best way to collect the VAT is to collect it at the source. There are only two ways through which we get goods into this country. The first one is through production, for example, the Kenya Breweries produces beers and secondly, through importation. I can never understand why we do not levy VAT at that level. Maybe when the Minister stands up to respond, he will have to convince me why we do not levy VAT at that level rather than leave it to the traders, whom most of the time will either collect the tax and not remit it to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) or collude with buyers not to ask for receipts. When traders do not issue receipts, then they do not charge VAT on whatever they sell. The Minister should convince me why we cannot have VAT levied at the source. Mr. Chairman, Sir, although this might be repetition, I have to mention it. Those of use who come from the sugar growing areas are completely opposed to the SDL. I would like the Minister to take it that we from the sugar producing areas are completely opposed to this. Maybe between now and the end of this year, we shall convince the Minister to do away with the SDL, so that if there is a tax to be paid, everybody will pay it rather than impose it on the local sugar-cane growers only. I would like to comment on retirement benefits. The Minister, in his proposals, allowed the people who are leaving this country to access their retirement benefits if they can prove that they are leaving this country and never to come back. When somebody is dying, that is a totality. When somebody has been retrenched or has lost his job, that is also a totality. So, I cannot understand why people who have been retrenched cannot access their retirement benefits until they attain a certain age. This is completely unfair, as some hon. Members have mentioned. Life expectancy in this country has drastically dropped. It is only fair that at whatever level somebody leaves employment, he should access his retirement benefits and do something meaningful with that money. Mr. Chairman, Sir, finally, I want to comment on the issue of tax deductible from people who donate money to political parties. The Minister should have considered all the charity organisations who have done a wonderful job in this country. For example, in Lugari Constituency, I have received a lot of support from the Safaricom Foundation, the Celtel Group of Companies and the Portland Cement. I want this to go on record. I wish a way could be found, so that anybody who is giving a donation for a worthy course can have his taxes deductible from that rather than just looking at the political parties. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}