Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 602778,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/602778/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 718,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Anami",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2773,
        "legal_name": "Lisamula Silverse Anami",
        "slug": "lisamula-silverse-anami"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Bill. This Bill helps in harmonising many pieces of legislation that tend to confuse Kenyans and investors around the globe and gives us good direction. All said and done, the central issue here is the amount of resources that the Government loses because we cannot collect them. We find ourselves in the difficulties that the Mover has talked about like the cash crunch, delayed release of funds and exchequer challenges because of the systems we use. I support this Bill because it will enable investors and Kenyans in general to get away from the laborious procedures that have been made worse by conflicting legislation. I am specifically talking about the changing technological arrangement. We are mostly electronic these days. I know that KRA has embraced the electronic collection and security of revenue, but there is also a danger. How secure is this and how compliant is everyone who is participating in revenue collection? The fear we have as Kenyans is that sometimes it takes a click for our tax collectors to access all records. We need to be guaranteed of this kind of security, so that we do not lose money because of the changing technological arrangement. Above all, this new procedural law should embrace the notion of creativity, where we do not see tax collection and tax remission as a punishment, because Kenyans since time immemorial have been used to viewing tax remittance as a punishment. The players in this regime want to avoid paying tax as a way of participating in corruption. Due to impunity, many citizens want to avoid paying tax. The law should embrace a system of incentives. Could we have incentives factored into this law so that people are willing to remit tax? What rewards can be given to those who remit tax consistently, so that people are anxious to remit tax and we get away from these deals that make our country look so bad? It is costing us terribly at the global level. 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."
}