{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=153616","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=153614","results":[{"id":1554342,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554342/?format=json","text_counter":196,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. David Ochieng'","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Member for Kitui Rural, I want to deny you this chance because you do not trust the system. You should trust the system next time and stay in your seat. I would have skipped you if I were not having a good morning. I would like Members to trust the system and that Speakers will call you when it is your chance to speak. Go ahead."},{"id":1554343,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554343/?format=json","text_counter":197,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Rural, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. David Mwalika","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you for that advice and for giving me the opportunity to support this amendment. The policy of governments all over the world is to protect and promote local manufacturers. It is for two or three reasons. One is to create employment. The second is to generate income for households. The third is to reduce foreign exchange use."},{"id":1554344,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554344/?format=json","text_counter":198,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. David Ochieng’) left the Chair]"},{"id":1554345,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554345/?format=json","text_counter":199,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. (Dr) Rachael Nyamai) took the Chair]"},{"id":1554346,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554346/?format=json","text_counter":200,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Rural, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. David Mwalika","speaker":null,"content":"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."},{"id":1554347,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554347/?format=json","text_counter":201,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Rural, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. David Mwalika","speaker":null,"content":"I was reading The Nation newspaper today. There is a big writing on trade wars between China and the USA. The USA feels that Chinese products are affecting their industries back home and wants to increase their tariffs by 100 per cent to protect local industries. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the 25 per cent excise duty intended to protect local manufacturers of transformers from complete importation of transformers into the country. However, we need to note two things. First, the harmonised System (HS) codes for complete imported transformers and imported parts for assembling transformers are the same. The 25 per cent excise duty also affected imported parts used to assemble transformers in this country. Secondly, there are no transformer manufacturers in this country and East Africa. Therefore, excise duty affected the cost of transformers assembled in this country. We cannot import from East Africa by using common external tariffs because we do not have transformer manufacturers in East Africa. This made the whole exercise expensive for the country. The 25 per cent duty increase on the prices of transformers affected rural electrification. The prices of transformers went up by 25 per cent, affecting the Last Mile Connectivity Project from which every Member of Parliament yearns to deliver electricity to our people. It also affected the cost of manufacturing. The end products of power go up if the cost of transformers is raised. It also affected our competitiveness in the region because most manufacturers use electricity for manufacturing. It is an input in infrastructure and manufacturing. Reducing the cost will actually increase our competitiveness. Listening to Kenya Power and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), this was affecting their existing budgets because they had already budgeted for the number of transformers they were going to buy. Increasing the cost of a transformer by 25 per cent means that they could not buy the number of transformers they budgeted for in this financial year. Kenya Power buys about 4,000 transformers to replace spoiled ones in the country. Therefore, I beg this House to support this amendment so that our Last Mile Connectivity Project is back on track. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."},{"id":1554348,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554348/?format=json","text_counter":202,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Hon. (Dr) Rachael Nyamai): Thank you very much. Next is the Member of Tharaka, Hon. Gitonga Murugara."},{"id":1554349,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554349/?format=json","text_counter":203,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tharaka, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. George Murugara","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support this important Bill, especially now that the country is talking about taxation. The Excise Duty is one form of taxation in the country where the Government has to raise revenue through taxing imported goods. Such a reduction finds favour with Kenyans, considering that we are constantly thinking about ways and means of reducing taxes to do several things in the country. That includes local production and lowering prices of imported goods for use by Kenyans. This Bill seeks to delete the tariffs described under the Act with a 25 per cent excise duty rate on all imported fully assembled electronic transformers and parts. The current situation is that if you import a transformer, you will pay 25 per cent of its value as Excise Duty. If you import any part of a transformer, you will also have to pay the same percentage as Excise Duty. Therefore, removing this particular rate means that transformers and their spare parts will come into the country free of Excise Duty. The rationale we have been given is to encourage local production and assembly of transformers in Kenya. We know very well that we may not be able to manufacture the parts locally, but we can assemble them. Once we begin to assemble, certain benefits will accrue. First, we will encourage manufacturing, thus creating employment in those industries. Secondly, without these taxes, the prices would come down, and we would be able to have more transformers in the country, hence widening the scope of electricity supply, especially in rural areas. As we speak, the country is not particularly well-lit. Rural constituencies, including my own Tharaka Constituency, are under-connected to electricity. Such provisions shed some light on us – that things will soon turn around. We will have rural constituencies connected to the national grid 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."},{"id":1554350,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554350/?format=json","text_counter":204,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tharaka, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. George Murugara","speaker":null,"content":"and do away with the usual excuse of funds not being available. We will be able to use less funds to connect wider areas."},{"id":1554351,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554351/?format=json","text_counter":205,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tharaka, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. George Murugara","speaker":null,"content":"This is a very important Bill. That is why we have been called upon to support it. I fully agree that we should support the Bill. Once we reduce the cost of transformers, we will also address other components of electricity supply in the country. I encourage the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, including the Chairman, to look into the cost of imported electricity posts to see whether they also have Excise Duty. We are told that sometimes we have to get posts from Tanzania and elsewhere. We have to look at cables because we have to cable the lines. If we have to import wires, whether made of copper or of whatever nature, we need to look at the duties we have to pay."}]}