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{
    "id": 482433,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/482433/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 233,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ogolla",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1264,
        "legal_name": "Gideon Ochanda Ogolla",
        "slug": "gideon-ochanda-ogolla"
    },
    "content": "where we have the border posts. If you are crossing alone, you have to pay insurance, local authority and all manner of little revenues here and there. This is the time that we could have worked out and ensured that things are harmonized in the name of the East African Community. This would make things easier and movement of commodities easier in terms of when we are trading and crossing the borders. This is one of the best ways that we could easily have in place for purposes of reducing the cost in revenue raising. We have all manner of problems, particularly in the border areas. I have mentioned fish. If a fisherman crosses the border, which again is also not marked in the waters but when they get across, the authorities in Uganda charge them revenue, county rates and all manner of levels of government that are there. So, at the end of the day, when a fisherman lands with fish on the Kenyan side, if he was to get, for example, Kshs10, he ends up with Kshs2. This, again, is also taxed locally and this is a big problem to our people. There is also the issue of not trying to constantly equate the revenue that we raise with the kind of services that are supposed to be rendered. Many times, we have had our revenue raising arrangements almost in a constant manner for a number of years. But we have not taken time to properly cost the wastage. We have a lot of corruption in this country as part of the wastage. If we cost this properly, then the whole issue of the burden of tax will come down. You do a road today, spend a lot of money and the following year, the same road is supposed to be fixed because of the quality of service. If we look thoroughly into the value for money and ensure that whatever we invest in this year will stay for a period of time, that will help us to reduce the amount of money that is required to do the same service in the next shorter period of time. Our Government needs to take time in terms of ensuring value for money and the investments that we put our money in so that we do not just constantly be talking about broadening the tax base, but we also talk about alternative sources of resources to render the same services that we raise revenue for. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}