Siaya senator James Orengo has made another prophecy that the government of president Uhuru Kenyatta risks enslaving its citizens if the parliament does nothing to correct the tax burden.
According to James Orengo, parliament is the weakest link in tackling over-taxation and ought to be blamed fully for making Kenyans face harsh economic conditions.
The Siaya senator while speaking at the Senate on Tuesday regretted that both the Senate and the National Assembly had greatly failed in their oversight roles, especially on laws touching taxes.
As a result, the vibrant lawyer prophesied that Kenyans would soon turn into slaves if the government does not chip in to rescue the already worsening situation.
“Taxation without representation is equal to tyranny but then again the current over taxation on Kenyans is like slavery. We must get this yoke off the neck of Kenyans,” argued James Orengo.
Besides, the minority leader in the Senate was baffled by the fact that leaders who passed those tax bills were blaming others instead of owning up and taking responsibility for such bills.
“No tax can be levied without the authority of the parliament. No expenditure can be made without parliament. The public is correct in blaming the parliament. It is not a party matter. Anybody who says it is ODM or Jubilee is completely misled and the parliament must take full responsibility. I’m beginning to feel this parliament is becoming one of the weakest in the history of this country,” he posed.
Consequently, he maintained that parliament must sanction taxation urgently prior to the implementation.
Following the Finance Bill 2020, Kenyans have been paying more for petroleum products such as cooking gas, cooking oil and kerosene.
In the meantime, two Kenyans recently filed an application at the National Assembly so that the house can look into the high fuel prices that have sparked anger among Kenyans.
The petition that was received by speaker Justin Muturi was filed by Antony Manyara and John Wangai who are calling for the urgent repeal of Section 13 of the Finance Act, 2018 so that the issue of sharp rise in prices of petroleum and petroleum products can be addressed.
The two Kenyans complained about section 13 of the Finance Act, 2018 which amended section 5(2) of the Value Added Tax, 2013 thereby introducing an 8% VAT on petroleum and petroleum products which had previously been tax exempt while citing effects that the spike on fuel prices had on taxpayers.
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