Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi urged Kenyans to stop politicizing the Finance Bill 2023.
Speaking during the 40th Annual seminar for the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) in Mombasa, Mudavadi said the introduction of the bill by the Kenya Kwanza government is part of fixing the sorry state of the economy.
“The government has taken a bold step towards broadening the tax base so that we increase what we collect locally as revenue. This is the only way we will be able to boost agricultural sector operations, enhance food production and create jobs for us to stir the economic growth,” he said.
Mudavadi said the question of Value Added Tax (VAT) has been mis-conceptualised and the Finance Bill 2023 should cure the problem once and for all.
“The Government has shifted its subsidy policy from consumption to production. The few beneficiaries on the consumption side are crying out loud, the Government proposes to provide exemptions under the VAT Act for fertilizers and inputs or raw materials locally purchased or imported by manufacturers of fertilizers,” he added.
“We all know things went bad before Kenya Kwanza took over and are still bad as we speak today. This experience should prompt us to work together to mitigate the dire situation.”
The Prime CS added that Government is deploying all the measures within its power to address the challenges and foster a resilient and inclusive economic recovery process.
“As a government, we are not sleeping on the job. The commitment to prioritize the lives and livelihoods of Kenyans above all else is our key priority,” he affirmed.
