National

Raila's Azimio demands further changes to Finance Bill 2024, vows to shoot it down

National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi and Azimio La Umoja Leader Raila Odinga consult at a past press briefing. The opposition coalition now demands further changes to the Finance Bill 2024 and wants it to be turned into what they described as a document for growth and not stagnation. (ODM)

By Barack Oduor | Tuesday, June 18, 2024

According to the opposition outfit, the country would be shooting itself in the foot if we were to make laws just to protect one business person.

The Azimio La Umoja Coalition headed by Raila Odinga now demands further changes to the Finance Bill 2024 and wants it to be turned into what they described as a document for growth and not stagnation.

Piling pressure hours after a series of protests by Kenyans and a change of heart by the government to drop taxes on essential commodities at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday, the opposition coalition in a statement by Minority Leader in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi warned that Kenyans will further protest if the Bill is passed with punitive taxes.

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The National Assembly's Finance Committee on Tuesday said it had dropped a proposal to charge 16 per cent value-added tax on bread. Also struck out is the proposed value-added tax on the transportation of sugar, financial services and foreign exchange transactions.

"For instance, we demand that the Export Promotion Levy of 10 per cent on clinkers for the manufacture of cement is a tool for stagnation. It is meant to stifle competition in a particular sector with a view to protecting a particular investor in a specific sector," said Wandayi.

According to the opposition outfit, the country would be shooting itself in the foot if we were to make laws just to protect one business person.

In their view, the Export Promotion Levy must also be dropped. "We also demand the outright dropping of the proposal by Transport CS to increase fuel levy by Sh9 per litre. We are against this idea that transport, which includes the movement of goods and people, is some kind of luxury that this country can do without."

Wandayi explained that without the movement of goods and people, the country has no economy to talk about. He further reiterated that their position is that there shall be no more ad hoc raising of prices of fuel.

"As a Coalition, we will scrutinise the Bill more accurately and demand amendments to more areas as they emerge. We have an obligation to stand up for the electorate and the country. We encourage Kenyans to continue engaging with the Bill and continue demanding that the government does the right thing," said Wandayi.

In their view, the changes to the Bill create a feeling that the government is involved in mind games with the citizens. Wandayi averred that they created the feeling that some of the proposals now dropped were included in the initial bill just to create outrage and allow the administration to claim to be listening and caring.

"Despite the changes announced today, we as a Coalition, are not convinced that they go deep enough to make the end product be a law that can promote investment and economic growth and contain corruption, especially the budgeted corruption and wasteful spending."