In summary

• Public participation on the bill ends today.
• Almost 80% of Kenyans are opposed to the bill terming it punitive.

Parliamentary Committee on Finance is expected to end public participation on the controversial Finance Bill 2024/2025 with pressure groups now demanding that they implement what the people told them.

General Coordinator PBOs Consortium David Otieno avers that the lawmakers have obtrusively ignored public views on the last budget and should the the same re-occur then they shall seek legal redress.

‘‘Public participation in parliament has just become a PR exercise because there is no legal framework to ensure public views have been taken into consideration in Finance Bill 2023/2024 the public gave their views and they were not considered it outrages that government has decided to tax everything  including bread and motor vehicles .I think it high time have a legal interpretation on public participation,’’ Dvaid said.

Raila’s Take

Last week Azimio leader Raila Odinga termed the proposed taxes as callous and unacceptable.

“The Finance Bill 2024 fails the taxation dictums of predictability, simplicity, transparency, equality and administrative ease and fairness.The Finance Bill 2024 fails the taxation dictums of predictability, simplicity, transparency, equality and administrative ease and fairness. It is worse than the one of 2023, an investment killer and a huge milestone around the necks of millions of poor Kenyans who had hoped that the tears they shed over taxes last year would see the government lessen the tax burden in 2024,’’ he said.

Public Views

“It is painful that the government has decided to punitive and it’s nolonger keen with our interest.They must stop imagine puting VAT on bread who does that  ! Do we have a reasoning government or not? ” Denis Kombi Nairobi resident said.

“Serikali imeamua kututunyanyasa wameamua kutulima na ushuru mpaka kwa roho yetu huu sio ngozi tunataka,wakaae chini wasikie wakenya wanataka nini we can’t couninue with this shenanigans under our watch.But the big question is where are our leaders ..should we suffer and they are there minting salaries..” Joshua Nyaoga CBD traders said