Rabai MP William Kamoti has faulted Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) Henry Rotich for imposing a 16 percent value added tax on petroleum products that has sparked uproar among Kenyans.
Kamoti said the CS should immediately withdraw the controversial tax to save poor Kenyans further economic hardships.
The national government hopes to raise Sh.70 billion in government tax revenue through the new fuel tax regime.
He said raising value added tax on the petroleum products has a direct relationship with the cost of living in the country.
The lawmaker said Rotich should have exercised his powers to suspend the introduction of the new fuel tax pending the President’s assent on the Finance Bill, 2018.
“The CS has done a great disservice to Kenyans who are already grappling with high cost of living” he said adding that the new tax regime will have a direct bearing on living standards.
Addressing locals in Rabai, Kilifi County Kamoti said that as lawmakers they voted to suspend the implementation of the unpopular tax measure by at least two years and wondered why the CS was forcing it on Kenyans.
He said the only option now was parliament to be recalled from recess to address the matter and grill the Finance minister for disobeying the August house.
“If the Minister continues to stonewall against the concerns Kenyans are raising then parliament will have no option but to impeach him’ he said.
