Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has moved to calm the Mount Kenya region as residents from the vote-rich bloc continue to protest against a raft of unpopular policies introduced by the Kenya Kwanza government.
Speaking after a consultative meeting held in Karen with
stakeholders from the agricultural industry, Gachagua stated that MPs will be
amending the Finance Act, 2023 in three months to factor in feedback from
various stakeholders.
Among the issues that the government is looking to address
is the disquiet stemming from the proposed Farm Produce Tax which has
encountered widespread opposition across Mt. Kenya.
"We know that there is a challenge with the Finance
Act, the Members of Parliament here have acceded that there are issues in every
document that may not serve the intended objective, " stated Gachagua.
The DP elaborated that although the legislation was
conceptualized in good faith, it still contained some contentious acts that
need to be reviewed.
“In any exam, even 70 per cent is an A, that does not mean
because there a few things that are wrong the document is entirely bad,” stated
Gachagua
Further actions by Gachagua included calling for a meeting
with the Cabinet Secretaries responsible for Treasury and Agriculture alongside
8 representatives of players within the agriculture industry that will further
deliberate contentious issues before the amendments are made.
He also emphasised that he was taking immediate action by
formulating a task force that would embark on formulating recommendations
after looking into the proposed Farm Produce Tax before the piece of
legislation is amended.
The task force will comprise farmers, aggregators, and KRA officials.
The group is expected to table a report on any regulatory and
legal issues raised by farmers that need to be taken into account.
The Farmers Produce Tax has faced stiff resistance in the Mt.
Kenya region which relies heavily on agriculture.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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