Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has insisted that Parliament will pass the contested Finance Bill 2023 that targets to raise Ksh2.8 trillion in the 2023/2024 financial year.
This comes after Opposition leader Raila Odinga vowed to rally Azimio MPs to oppose the Bill in Parliament.
Speaking on Tuesday, Senator Cherargei stated that the Bill will be passed without amendments as suggested by the Opposition.
Cherargei said the Finance Bill 2023 is necessary as the government has only two options; borrow more or raise its own revenue through taxation.
“On the FINANCE BILL 2023, the decision to pass by Parliament is NOT optional where even coma shall not be amended be because we either borrow more or raise our own revenue through taxation. The serious public debt of 10T was put by Handshake govt of Uhuru/ Tinga that the Kenyans are paying heavily now,” the senator said.
Cherargei further took a swipe at Raila Odinga for failing to raise any objection over the ballooning debt during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime terming his current opposition to the tax regime as “hypocritical.”
“Tinga(Raila) did not raise an objection in handshake govt yet he was senior advisor to Uhuru then this hypocrisy should stop,” he said.
The Nandi senator said the country currently has a budget deficit of around Ksh800 billion.
“The taxation that has been introduced is mostly on luxury objects, there are no new taxes that are being introduced that can harm a hustler, I have never seen a hustler wearing wigs or fake nails,’’ he reasoned.
“We must be honest with the country, where we are, the trajectory we are taking is not good for the country, we must agree that it will be painful for some time, but at least the future of our children will be an economy that is prosperous,’’ said Senator Cherargei.
The Finance Bill 2023 was tabled in Parliament last week. The National Assembly is currently collecting views from Kenyans before the Kuria Kimani-led Finance Committee starts debating the Bill.
