NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 6 – The Kenya Kwanza Alliance Administration has embarked on fact finding mission to establish individuals who have been exempted from taxes since 2018.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa has written to the National Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u requesting information on list of individuals and firms who have benefitted from tax waivers.
In his request, Ichung’wa narrowed his quest since January 2018 to date pointing out that some key state officials from previous administration manipulated the law to grant tax waivers to their families.
“Everybody is obligated to pay taxes and no state officer has power to waive taxes for the families,” he stated.
“The end game is to ensure that taxes are paid by all Kenyans so that we end impunity,” he said.
The Majority Leader mentioned they have given the Treasury Cabinet Secretary fourteen days to furnish the House with the details.
This is even as he dispelled the notion that the President William Ruto administration was engaging in a political vendetta against the retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Ichung’wa asserted that previous regime violated Article 210 to protect their families and friends from paying the taxman his dues.
“Let no one be mistaken that this pursuit is targeting anyone. We want to establish whether the waivers are done in accordance to the law,” the Majority Leader said.
The Kikuyu Legislator stated that some of the tax waivers exemption cases were not communicated to the Auditor General in the given period.
Article 210 of the Constitution provides that no tax or licensing fee may be imposed, waived or varied except as provided by law.
It further provides that where the law allows the waiver of such tax or fee, a public record of the waiver and the reason for it should be kept, and the same should be availed to the Auditor-General.
About The Author
