President Ruto ‘Happy And Proud’ Of How Much Taxes Kenyans Are Paying
In a covert jab at the administration of his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, President Ruto implied that his government is more concerned with increasing domestic revenue than with borrowing foreign funds.
He stated that his administration will continue to seek out novel methods of taxation to fund its development, in contrast to previous regimes’ reliance on foreign assistance.
“Many Kenyans have ideas. Many institutions are stepping forward to work with us on how we can raise revenue locally, and I’m very proud. A while ago, the conversation was about how much of the debt is allocated to even children who are not yet born…public debt…I’m happy that this time round we’re having a conversation about, not debt, but taxes,” he said.
“That is a significant improvement, we have moved away from how much debt we’re accumulating, to how much tax we’re paying…we’re in the right place, we’re having the right conversation…and it is because I did commit to the country that we’re going to begin the journey to wean ourselves from leaving beyond our means to living within our budgets.”
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The Head of State, speaking on Friday in Mombasa in observance of National Taxpayers’ Day with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), further stated, “Moreover, we must reduce our expenditures to maintain financial prudence and prevent the gradual accumulation of debts.”
The President’s remarks coincide with widespread discontent among Kenyans regarding the numerous taxes that the ruling administration has recently levied on them.
The most recent of these occurred last month when Ruto enacted four measures mandating universal health coverage (UHC).
This entailed that individuals employed in the formal sector of Kenya shall contribute 2.75 percent of their salary every month, with a minimum contribution of Ksh.300 and a maximum contribution of Ksh.5,000.
In September, importers of pre-owned vehicles into the nation were significantly impacted by the imposition of fresh taxes on automobiles by the government.
KRA implemented a revised depreciation schedule that increased the maximum depreciation rate from 70% to 65% of the vehicle’s value.
President Ruto ‘Happy And Proud’ Of How Much Taxes Kenyans Are Paying