ODM national chairman John Mbadi has hit out at President William Ruto on his involvement in taxation.
Mbadi said Ruto was playing into what he had accused retired President Uhuru Kenyatta of — weaponizing the state institutions.
“Let us not weaponize KRA. You are the one who told us Uhuru was weaponizing state institutions. You are doing exactly that,” he said.
Mbadi spoke on Tuesday during a Parliamentary debate on the President’s memorandum on the creation of the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
The nominated MP wished President Ruto would focus on his promises to Kenyans and stop prioritizing agendas that were not mandated to the Office of the President.
“The President can never be a tax collection agent. We have competent people in KRA,” Mbadi said.
Further, he asked Ruto to stop the plan to ‘snoop’ on the citizens’ phones and overtax them.
“If I sent money to my mother, that is not income to her it is a transfer of resources. You should consult people like us who have extensive and wide knowledge in financial management,” he said.
In January, the government unveiled a plan to integrate the KRA tax system with M-Pesa and other online payments as it targets Sh3 trillion next financial year.
In a detailed Draft 2023 Budget Policy Statement titled ‘Economic recovery agenda to promote inclusive growth,’ the Kenya Kwanza government outlined an aggressive tax collection plan, which is expected to net Sh2.8 trillion.
Ruto’s administration is planning to reduce the Corporate Income Tax gap from 32.2 per cent to 30 per cent and integrate the KRA tax system with the telecommunication companies.
Senate and National Assembly resumed sittings on Tuesday for a second session after a long break in December 2022.
-The-Star