Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ruku has claimed that Kenya is the least taxed country in the world, implying that taxes should be increased further to fund various government projects.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen, Ruku stated that raising taxes will increase revenue collection, which will supplement basic projects such as education, health, and infrastructure.
“One of the directions we should take is to raise our tax revenue in a gradual manner gradually. What Kenya Kwanza government is proposing at the moment is that we be able to raise from 14%-16% by so doing we will be able to go to Ksh.2.8 trillion that would be enough to finance developmental activities like education,” he said.
The MP then compared Kenya’s taxation rate to that of other countries, concluding that Kenya is the least taxed, unlike South Africa, Botswana, Norway, Turkey, and Germany, which he believes are more taxed.
He said Kenya is quite at the bottom when it comes to the payment of taxes as Kenyan tax revenue to GDP is 14 per cent compared to other nations which are 23 percent.
“Which is why the government is proposing to raise the tax from 14% to 16%, which is sufficient to finance development in the country’s health, education, and infrastructure sectors,” he added.
