We created an unnecessary bicameral
parliament
with
massive
county
governments that are neither self-
sustaining nor efficient and yet all these
extra legislators enjoy tax free benefits
and all they have learnt from the National
government is that when short of revenue,
increase county taxes.
The National government is competing
with the county government for the same
shilling in Wanjiku’s pocket and none are
having enough hence the word on every
tongue is taxes and more taxes as Wanjiku
is bled to the bone.
Surprisingly Wanjiku cannot see beyond
the nose that is led by selfish and self-
seeking politicians who amazingly
actually want to increase the quantity
of positions in the government and are
busy convincing Wanjiku that it is to her
benefit to effectively pay more taxes.
We have also stated in the past that
corruption is a cancer that is relentlessly
eating away at the Kenyan fabric and sad
to say the cancer did not evade our revenue
collecting arm but is firmly embedded in
it.
We discover to our horror that our so
called tax Tsars have not been men of
integrity and have actually colluded with
business moguls to evade tax. So while
they were wielding a big stick at Wanjiku
High direct tax tariffs are a disincentive
and all they do is to make people cre-
ative in ways and means of legitimately
avoiding or illegitimately evading taxa-
tion and once ways are found they result
in low revenue collection as willingness
to pay taxes is severely compromised.
and threatening her with imprisonment
they were partying with the real tax
culprits. creating more and more tax avenues and
flag those they know were previously
untouchables but are now fair game.
And in a typical follow the leader fashion
the KRA officers at all levels have
mastered the art of the deal and have
become millionaires at the expense of
the government as they mastermind the
stealing of billions meant for the general
coffers. It is incomprehensible that duly licensed
gaming firms can close on account that
they cannot agree with the government on
a taxation modality. Kenya is not the only
country that has these types of companies
so a blueprint exists somewhere.
Not only have they become rich but have
also become extortionists and blackmailers
and they are adept at creating tax problems
that they are only too willing to help you
sort out at the right price. The revenue pot
is hemorrhaging not merely bleeding.
Since they know how much they are
extracting from the system is it the reason
why they need to cover the shortfalls by
It would have been better if they were to
state that they do not want the gaming
companies because they are protecting the
populace from addictive habits but that
is already hollow since they don’t even
protect us from killer fake products and
farm inputs that will kill the innocent.
Kenyan morality went to the dogs a long
time ago and it is sheer hypocrisy to try
and pretend that alcohol, tobacco and
theft are not the most serious addictions
we have in the country not to mention
crazy religious denominations that fleece
their congregations daily.
Of a more subtle concern is if taxes are now
being used to settle political scores where
if you do not support the ‘right agenda’
then you are preyed on by government
operatives that force conformity by
bringing up past tax infringements filed
for just those types of eventualities.
Universal health coverage should not be a
political agenda but a basic human right
that every Kenyan should be able to access
given the level of taxation that we bear.
Taxation should not be about stealing
from Wanjiku to enrich the affluent.
Note that we have only talked about
income tax on a personal and corporate
level and have not even touched on a
plethora of other taxes that have turned
Kenyans into tax mules. That is a story for
another day as we must escalate the tax
protest - ‘A luta continua, vitoria e certa’