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{
    "id": 377273,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/377273/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 497,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "July 30, 2013 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 47 Hon. (Ms.) Chebet",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for this opportunity. I want to say I am happy to be in the House at this time although the House is half empty or three quarters empty. I am happy to contribute on this VAT Bill. I want to appeal to hon. Members to support it. One, we need to demystify the Bill so that we can understand when we talk of basic commodities, zero-rating and reducing the prices of such basic commodities like sanitary towels. I am very happy because our girls will remain in school full time. Our mothers also will have access to cheap and affordable sanitary towels but when it comes to foodstuff, we need to look at the value chains; the chain of production. Who is benefiting? If we are importing food from South Africa, Israel and other countries, who is going to benefit from the VAT refunds that we give to traders or commercial people who bring this food to the country? I know some time back and even now, the amount of refunds that our Commissioner is giving back is a lot of money and sometimes it makes our people engage in corrupt practices. They have to be talked to nicely by the people asking for the refunds and we are not sure if these refunds are real or “cooked” from the people who are asking for them. So, we have to be very careful on what we support. If we are supporting zero-rating, we have to check carefully and make sure that the money does not eat into what the Government should be benefiting from. If we do not make money through the collection of tax in Kenya, then it means we are going to be below what other developing countries are getting for the advancement of the country. So what we need to do is to ensure that whatever needs to be collected through tax is collected 100 per cent. What we need to supplement as a Government or a country, we supplement the basic things so that we do not give room for the refunds that are eating into our money. If we make production of our food efficient, for example, if we can give seeds and fertilizer at affordable prices to the farmer, it means the farmer will produce more food and when more food is produced, it creates an oversupply and food becomes available and cheap to consumers. This is unlike if we are making food available through the processors or millers. Millers are the beneficiaries. It is not the farmer who is producing but it is the miller who is milling the maize and putting it on the shelves; the chain of supermarkets will also eat into more money and leave the consumer paying more than expected. So, what I would have recommended is to look at how we can supplement the farmer or producer and not the processing or the miller. Finally, if we support this Bill, the amendments that are on course from the Committee, then I think we are going to have the basic commodities available to our people. We need to look at issues like kerosene, for example. This is a basic commodity which every household needs to access, otherwise even in the rural areas where I come from, Elgeyo Marakwet County, we are destroying the environment because we are looking for firewood. If we supplement our kerosene then it means that we are going to save the environment. This is because we will have an alternative source of energy to use at home."
}