MT KENYA religious leaders urge RUTO to revoke tax on farm produce

 Tuesday, March 5,2024 - A section of religious leaders from the Mt Kenya region have expressed displeasure about the government’s decision to tax farmers, saying the move is not only punitive but one that could injure the country’s economic growth.

Led by Bishop David Thagana, Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya (FEICCK) Secretary General, the bishops, reverends, and pastors urged lawmakers to rescind what they call punitive laws.

In its bid to go for more taxes, the government wants every farmer delivering their produce to the markets to pay Sh5 for every Sh100 obtained from sales, claiming the agricultural sector is undertaxed.

Thagana lamented that the heavy taxation has seen the cost of living skyrocket, hurting the majority of Kenyans, especially those at the bottom of the pyramid.

His sentiments were echoed by Bishop Joseph Karani, who called on lawmakers to stop enacting laws that are punitive to common mwananchi and that are introducing hefty taxes.

“I urge MPs to put the interests of Kenyans first while making crucial decisions that can make or break the country socially, economically, or politically,” he said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST