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{
    "id": 601962,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/601962/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 210,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Munene",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2652,
        "legal_name": "Mary Wambui Munene",
        "slug": "mary-wambui-munene"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support this Bill. First of all, I thank all the Members who supported me when I lost my sister. Thank you very much for your support. May God add you more? I rise to support this Bill. However, there is one thing I want to look at because the Commissioner-General says that it is impossible to recover unpaid taxes. I do not think it is impossible in this country. If everybody working and any business have a PIN, if they do not pay tax, the Commissioner-General has a way to get the money. However, we also need to do something more in terms of educating our people. So many business people are not used to giving receipts when you buy from them. They will ask whether you want a receipt or not. However, I want our people to understand that the tax we are paying is the money used to repair our roads and to construct schools and hospitals. So, when you are told not to get a receipt, you must understand you are stealing money from the Government. People need to be told it is better to pay tax if they want this country to develop. The Commissioner-General needs to employ competent people because he has the structures. I do not know what criteria he will use to send officers outside there to collect taxes. Sometimes, the officers collude with business people not to pay taxes. This country loses a lot of money because there are so many business people who do not pay tax. When they file returns, their books indicate they made losses. However, if you visit their shops and see how busy they are, you will know they are cheating. So, the Commissioner-General must use technology. We also need to make people understand this country gets money from the taxes we pay. We cannot say the Government is not working and yet, we do not pay taxes. There is also a lot of corruption, from the small person to the big people. How are we going to eliminate corruption as we pay taxes? People just need to understand. There used to be KRA officers who would go round buying things and saying that they did not want receipts and after a few minutes, the seller would be arrested. These days, I do not see that happening. I want our people not to allow foreigners and other big people to refuse to pay taxes. 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."
}