{"id":579091,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/579091/?format=json","text_counter":172,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Wakhungu","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":1889,"legal_name":"Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu","slug":"chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"},"content":"I was happy about tax rebates, especially to university graduates. We know very well that it is very difficult for many university students to get jobs after they complete their studies, because they do not have experience. Many organisations and employers do not want to employ them because of lack of experience. In the learning curve, experience is critical. If you are a fresh graduate from the university, it is very difficult to get a job. So, coming up with tax rebates is going to encourage employers to employ university graduates and the youth. Research has shown that 70 per cent of the unemployment people in this country are the youth. If we encourage this, it will help young graduates from universities to get jobs. It will be good incentives for the employers to follow this. The law here is talking about a minimum of 10. I wish we could reduce it to five, so that many of them can be absorbed and benefit from this tax rebate. The issue of the KRA recruiting agents to collect taxes on their behalf is good, because it will cover many regions which, maybe, the KRA cannot reach for one reason or another. The selection criterion is critical. I hope that regulations will be put in place. They should come to this House, so that we can debate them. It is risky to give an agent the mandate to collect money from the tax payers. They will collect the money and in the long-run a company may go under. This is s going to be a big liability. In the Chairman’s report, we want to know the measures that will be put in place, so that the companies that are going to be selected for purposes of tax collection are credible and meet the minimum threshold, so that they do not go down with the taxpayers’ money. Another issue is on the laptops. Exempting tax on the importation of electronic parts is good, especially in this digital era. We should encourage that, especially for our youth who use the internet a lot. As we talk about laptops, it is an issue for the Jubilee Government. They promised Kenyans that they were going to give laptops. Up to now, we have not seen the laptops. We are reminding His Excellency the President that children are waiting. Those who were in Standard One are now in Standard Three. I do not know whether they are going to roll out the project from Standard One up to Standard Four. Time is going. When it comes to 2017, people will challenge the Jubilee Government to tell them where the laptops are. I hope we are bringing this law in anticipation that in the next year, our children will get the laptops. The issue of real estate is very good, and I want to thank the Chairman. Stamp Duty, especially on transfers of real estate, has been a stumbling block. Many people come together to enjoy the economies of large scale, raise money and invest in land, but when it comes to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."}