UK-based lobby opposes Finance Bill

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Members of the civil society demonstrate outside parliament over the finance bill on June 6, 2024.

The justice and Equity Kenya Council has joined Kenyans in condemning the Finance Bill 2024.

In a statement on Sunday, they said Kenyans must stand firm to protect the separation of powers as envisioned in the 2010 constitution.

“We are concerned that despite presiding over a corrupt executive arm of government ever formed in Kenya, the government finds it normal to turn a blind eye and pay lip service to the corruption bedevilling the executive arm and through which billions of shillings continue to be lost without a care,” they said.

They said the economy is being battered by irresponsible decisions that are driving away investors and killing the little job opportunities available.

They noted that the government should instead be creating jobs and dealing with economic issues affecting Kenyans.

They further said the demand for goods and services is increasingly being subdued as purchasing power is eroded and taxes increased.

“Our food security is facing serious threats from illegitimate and unconstitutional legislation that is criminalising economic activity, and enterprises and creating cartels in our food security systems by imposing bureaucratic requirements, punitive taxes and other hurdles that hardly make sense,” they said.

Consequently, they said there is a fixation on increasing revenue collection without rationalising revenue expenditure and cost-saving measures.

The movement claimed that most of the revenue was lost by extravagant expenses in government.

“There is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive legislative protocol and policy for expense monitoring and control to remove wastage, looting, illegal expenses including those attached to unconstitutional offices such as first lady budgets, State House budget,” they said.

The organisation further said that the salaries of parliamentarians and MCAs should be pegged on minimum wage.

This they said is to ensure that any legislative laws they pass cushion those on minimum wage while those for state officials must not exceed department heads.

The UK-based organisation noted that the controller of budget must continue to do their job diligently and ensure the executive abides by the constitutional remit.

“A relevant law needs to be enacted to create an independent framework for enforcing the controller of the budget report and facilitating a structured public interrogation and participation in decision making over the same moving forward,” they said.

They therefore called on leaders to facilitate public debate on how the national budget can be controlled.

The high cost of living, lack of jobs, and heavy investment by parents in education in the hope of turning the future family fortunes they said is defiling the dignity of the nation.

“The high taxes including corporation tax 30 per cent, 16 per cent VAT on fuel taken together with the proposed new taxes on motor vehicle takes this to extremes,” their statement reads.

“Many of the direct taxes such as housing levy and proposed livestock and agricultural taxes will reduce disposable incomes, reduce the purchasing power of the masses, erode profits of business yet businesses are still required to pay 3 per cent percentage of turnover regardless of whether profit or loses are made.”

Source: theStars .co.ke
Original writer: CYNDY ALUOCH

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