‘Kenyans will plead with Ruto for more taxes’ – Mbeere MP
By Mary Ouko, July 20, 2023
Mbeere North Member of Parliament (MP) Geoffrey Ruku has said Kenyans will plead with President William Ruto to add more taxes in the coming financial year.
The MP who was speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Thursday, July 20, 2023, noted that the Finance Act will be beneficial towards reviving the country’s economy if the President is given more time to implement it.
“It’s a gradual process. This government has been in power for less than 9 months at the moment. The budget we read this month is the first budget for this government. Let’s see how its implementation is going to be and we judge the government by July next year,” he said.
He underscored that by next year July, the outcome of the Finance Act would be fruitful and Kenyans will ask the government to add more taxes.
“What I can tell Kenyans is by next year July if these shenanigans come to an end, we will be telling William Ruto please tax us more because we have seen what these taxes are doing to Kenyans,” he said.
“Kenyans will be telling the government of William Ruto we have seen what you have done with our taxes, you have revolutionalized our economy, if this is what you are doing with our taxes please tax us more,” he added.
The MP’s remarks came amidst anti-government protests staged by opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Odinga had rallied supporters to come out in numbers to pile pressure on the government so that it repeals the Finance Act and reduces the cost of living among others. The protests expected to go on till Friday have entered the second day.
A section of leaders allied to the Kenya Kwanza government have strongly condemned the opposition’s move stating that it is paralyzing the country’s economy.
The government has for the umpteenth time defended that the additional taxes stated in the Finance Act are meant to fund the country’s developmental projects and stabilise the struggling economy.