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{
    "id": 464083,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/464083/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 330,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Rotino",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2774,
        "legal_name": "Philip Lotiolo Ruto Rotino",
        "slug": "philip-lotiolo-ruto-rotino"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Bill. I want to thank the Chairman for bringing forth this very important Bill. Taxes are things that run a country. We ought to encourage our citizens to pay their taxes. When the citizens know that there is a way they can defend themselves or they are able to solve their problems which they encounter when paying their taxes, they will pay the taxes very well. We need to educate our people. In the rural constituencies people do not know much about taxation. People must be educated on how to pay the taxes and where to seek remedy. The Bill should have a clause on education. The communities must understand how they can run to the Tribunal when they are faced with problems. This Tribunal will help minimize complaints that people have with regard to payment of taxes. I do not think we need a judge to be the Chairman of this Tribunal. We need to bring an amendment that anybody who is qualified, say, a person with a basic degree and enough experience can be the Chairman of this Tribunal. We should not limit this because we have very few judges; let us open it up. I want us to build confidence in our taxpayers. One of the speakers said that in 2003 when the NARC Government took over people were paying taxes because they had confidence in the Government they had elected. If we can build confidence in our taxpayers by using the money collected well, then they will always pay taxes. We need to assure them that when they have a problem they have a place to go to. This will help our people a great deal. We are going to bring amendments to this Bill. For example, the membership of the Tribunal should not be 20 members. We should have a maximum of nine members. Overloading the membership will bring a problem to the taxpayers. We need to spend less money on the Tribunal. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}