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{
    "id": 421204,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/421204/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 180,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ng’ongo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "Even though that bit was removed, I still believe strongly that this House may consider reversing the Committee’s decision during the Committee Stage of this Bill by bringing books onboard. Why? Because I believe that those who are using books to write in this country are poor. Those who are not poor do not use books. If you are not poor but you use books, you are said to be analogue. If we exclude books and paper from taxation, we will be lowering the cost of living for many Kenyans. This House is at liberty to even include more items in the list of VAT-exempt items. I am aware that the Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade has actually come up with some recommendations of more items to be included. Let us balance between the revenue that we expect to collect for this country against the social and economic costs that it has on the people of this country. My concluding remark is a plea to all the Members of this House; that this Bill has nothing to do with Mbadi. It has everything to do with the people of Kenya. Hon. Members will remember that when we passed the VAT Act, 2013, there were problems in this country. People complained about the rising cost of living. We represent the people of Kenya. There is no shop which belongs to any political party. All the people we represent here go to the same shops to buy their items. There is no shop for CORD or ODM or Jubilee. We all suffer when the prices of commodities rise. If amongst the items I have mention there is any item that this House feels that it should not be exempted from VAT, there is nothing wrong with recommending its exclusion. If there is any item that this House believes that it should be included but was left out by me, the House is at liberty to include it. I am beseeching this House that it considers passing this Bill. Economists will tell you that once this Bill is passed, it will have a much bigger multiplier effect. What am I talking about? It is going to send a signal to the economy. Hon. Members will recall that when we passed the VAT Act, 2013, even prices of items which were not in the VAT bracket increased. The prices of those commodities shot up because the wrong signal had been sent to the economy, that prices of commodities had risen. The economy is very sensitive. Once we pass this Bill, business people will get a signal that the prices of commodities have come down."
}