Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 840760,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/840760/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 38,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Garissa Township, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Aden Duale",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "charging VAT on petroleum products? Number one, as we stand today, this is the first time we are charging VAT on petroleum products. Suppliers of this product are currently not able to claim any investment in terms of input on VAT. If we pass this legislation today, then they will join the rest of the other suppliers in the country whose products are VAT-chargeable. This will trickle down to the consumers of such suppliers. More fundamentally, this is the one reason the country must know, unlike other sectors in the economy, the Government… This House, under the leadership of the former chair of the Committee on Delegated Legislation, who is now the presiding Chair, passed the Energy (Petroleum Pricing) Regulations which regulate the retail prices of petroleum products. Never again can anybody say that because there is VAT on petroleum products, I will sell kerosene, super or diesel at this price. The moment we pass this 8 per cent, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) as a body mandated will do a calculation on the 8 per cent the President is proposing which will be translated into other sectors of the economy. So, this notion that if we put 8 per cent, tomorrow the bus that plies Garissa to Nairobi will charge Kshs1,000 should stop. The moment this becomes law, ERC will determine the only transferable cost payable by passengers or any other sector of the economy. The Kenyan economy can only be compared to that of our peers like South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. In South Africa they charge 14 per cent VAT and in Ghana they charge 15 per cent. Nigeria charges 5 per cent. Do not compare us with economies whose Gross Domestic Product when combined does not reach ours. This is the only economy that this House and the Chair of Budget and Appropriations Committee can prove that our Budget is 99 per cent funded by our domestic revenue. We do not beg the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. In fact last Thursday, the IMF withdrew the insurance on the volatility of a shilling. Until today our shilling is very strong. I have given enough reasons and I beg to move that the amendment on the Memorandum be approved. I beg to move."
}