From: Kagunda wa Buku
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:44:07 AM
Subject: Re: A failed Kenyan urban economy
Why doesn’t the government broaden the Tax range upwards? Why it is that income at 500,000 per annum is subject to same charge (30%) to income at 5,000,000 per annum?
Why are holders of constitutional offices tax exempt? The decadence of being affluent than the people they represent!
Why government imposes taxes on oil products? Kerosene, Petrol and Gas are essential products like flour, sugar and salt.
Why do companies evade taxes in the disguise of avoiding tax?
Why do we obligate 80% of our government revenues to recurring expenditure and rout non-recurrent expenditure?
Why is corruption our way of life? Did you witness a police officer accept a carrot or you offered a backhander in the last 24 hours!
Every so often I gaze at our leadership and fault life for a movie…
Kagunda wa Buku
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— On Thu, 11/13/08, shabana osman wrote:
From: shabana osman
Subject: Re: A failed Kenyan urban economy
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2008, 10:21 AM
Its sad that your ‘why’ will only reach a deaf ear. Our MPs do not understand the basic concept of taxation which is ‘redistribution of wealth’ and money being provided by the citizenry for purpose of ‘human development and public service’
Regards
Shabana
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KENYANS !!
Constructive civil activism should be re-ignited to keep the government on its toes.Now one wonders where proponents of grand-opposition stand on the issues of MP’s salaries including all their allowances being taxed and their accountability to the electorate–How about the “re-call” law in the new constitution ?
Politicians and 10th parliament especially appear to have taken advantage of peoples docility.The days civil society was burning were really good for Kenya And democracy was won.Members of the current grand-coalition govt are beneficiaries of that struggle and now are comfortable and complacent.They will possibly re-appear in 2012. But one wonders in 2012 with which new lies ??. They have laid their own trap !
Donors need to know that actually, taxes poor Kenyans pay are not improving their situation.Instead, we have MP’s who are Kenyans who never want to feel the pinch of paying taxes including all their allowances being taxed like other Kenyans .If MP’s as legislators cannot lead by example then for whom do they purport to make law that does not bind them ? Has the Kenyan nation embraced “the animal farm” story where some animals are “more animal” than others ! It may be assumed that the poor Kenyan public is deliberately being yoked into eternal poverty ! A poor public will have little or nothing to save and the national poverty cycle could go beyond 2030.Then how many Kenyans will live to see vision 2030 amid deepening poverty and diminishing life expectancy?
Kenyans especially urban dwellers will be yoked into eternal poverty and general sense of despondency because of the following :
1.Very expensive urban housing.Succesive independent Kenyan governments have failed to address this crucial issue that is tormenting many middle-class and absolute poor Nairobians.The Archaic,decadent housing law (the rent tribunal thing) cannot help Kenyans today.Few Kenyans can afford to own homes because of sagging incomes.Managing mortgages is a nightmare even for the few who make it.Land availabilty in urban areas is getting a foregone story and so sets in greedy Kenyan landlords without a human face.But government can create appropriate checks and balances in the housing sector through new legal mechanism, economic liberalization and private enterprise not withstanding ! .Govt must be for public good.
2.In efficient but expensive public transport system.KTN recently told the story with public transport in Nairobi. Touts have become law unto themselves but who okayed them with certificates of good conduct ? The public is quietly suffering and who should help ?
3.A de-regulated market that has mired the public into naked exploitation (a market system that see’s middle class and absolutely poor) keep off what is even basic consumption.
4.Growing unemployment
5.Insecurity especially in Nairobi’s slums.Not even simple things like community policing being bolstered to ensure security in residential areas since police force is seemingly under-resourced .
6.Lack of an energy policy that is pro-poor
7.Town and city councils whose service delivery and performance are below expectations
8.Lack of effective public representation through offices such as public ombudsperson
9.Justice especially for the ordinary Kenyan—justice system appears skewed,either delayed or denied.
10.Lack of democratic constitutional frame-work that will check excesses-such as abuse of public office & impunity inherent , guarantee free and fair elections, foster ethinic cohesion and national integration. CAN WE LEARN FROM AMERICA where race, party, economic and political status in society does not mean your allowances are tax exempt and that elections both civic, parliamentary and presidential are free and fair ? And that judiciary and legislature are independent and serve societal good ! I argue vehemently, that real Economic change in Kenya should be preceded by socio-political reconstruction.
Kenya requires re-creation and /or re-design .
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Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:23:07 -0800 [07:23:07 AM CST]
From: henry ouma
Subject: Civil Activism and Kenya’s economic re-design