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{
    "id": 391403,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/391403/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 226,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Billow",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 260,
        "legal_name": "Billow Adan Kerrow",
        "slug": "billow-kerrow"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a pity. We all have those challenges. When we experienced the last drought in 2007, we lost livestock whose value was estimated by this Government in tens of billions of shillings. Are we going to ask the Government of Kenya to buy all the cows, goats and sheep when we expect drought, let them keep them and sell them later? The point is, if we take this reasoning further, it becomes difficult to justify. The point being raised about tax, any activity that we do of productivity whether it is in agriculture, furniture making, growing cash crops or any other enterprise, the objective of the Government is to raise revenue, so that we can use that revenue to provide services. If we suggest that, perhaps, we should remove taxes on certain products, then we are the same members of Parliament who have been passing Motion after Motion, asking that the Government pays for this and that. With all due respect, my argument is that this should be a burden on the Treasury. What we need in this country - and we have seen this from some of the counties - is that we need to take positive steps. Counties have taken very positive steps; they have gone out to look out for investors who can invest in value addition in the tea and coffee sectors. That is what we need to encourage. We need to encourage the Government to develop infrastructure around the tea growing areas and so forth, so that they can make the cost of production also more competitive. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}