After a long time of silence on the 16% VAT tax on petroleum products, President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally installed hope in Kenyans after his speech at statehouse Nairobi.
The president while addressing the nation cited that he had heard and understood Kenyans cry over the tax that had risen fuel price, thus reducing it to 8%.
I have heard and understood your concerns, which is why I have proposed, as part of my memorandum, to cut VAT on petroleum products by 50%, from 16% to 8%.
— Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) September 14, 2018
However, Kenyans seem to have not yet been convinced on the move the President, showing signs of unsatisfactory as they took to social media to react.
Why do you speak like you are doing us a favour, we faithfully pay our taxes but we loose 1/3 of the budget to corruption. Forget the #Big4Agenda, fixing corruption should be your legacy. Its better than any road or affordable housing
— Mbiyu (@mmbiyu) September 14, 2018
They moreover seem not to have taken President’s announcement into considerations.
In the first place the previous fuel price was already overtaxed so reducing this 16% VAT to 8% will still heavily affect the common mwananchi, if your government was to create jobs for Kenyan youth but again overtax us im sorry but we’ll be moving 2 steps forward and 3 back
— Star! (@traplord_ke) September 14, 2018
Always on your national address you talk about SGR, Kenyan employees are undergoing racial discrimination in their own land, they are underpaid and subject to manual labour’s. Why haven’t you address this issue?
— Eliam king (@tokaya74) September 14, 2018
Your excellency i know many kenyans have no problem with paying VAT if its utilised well but what pains is when these hard earned money is looted by few greedy individuals
— bishar elmi (@BisharElmi) September 14, 2018