No one will be exempted from paying taxes, President says

President William Ruto has said no one will be exempted from paying taxes due to their standing in the society.

He noted that all Kenyans must pay their due share of taxes.

“There will be no exemption for people who think they are [politically] connected; I will lead the way,” he said.

The President revealed that revenue collection is expected to go up from the current average of Ksh 1.8 Trillion to at least Ksh 3 Trillion after leakages were sealed.

He spoke on Wednesday when he addressed the Kenya Manufacturing 20 BY 30 Initiative High Level meeting at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi.

Citing the examples of tea and hides and skins that are exported in their raw form, the President said manufacturers need to play their rightful role in adding value to the products.

He noted that there was no reason why Kenya should sell 95 per cent of its tea in raw form and allowing countries that do not grow the crop to make more money from the produce.

He also challenged manufacturers to fill the gap in value addition of leather products.

“We can make Ksh 75 billion up from the current Ksh 15 billion by value addition,” he said.

The Head of State said Kenya’s goals of increasing the contribution of manufacturing to 20 pc of the GDP by 2030 will soon be a reality.

“There are bigger opportunities than challenges in Kenya. Let us focus more on the opportunities,” said the President, pointing out that Kenya has a massive market at its disposal after the expansion of the East African Community and the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“Kenya should now take its place in Africa. It is in a position to be a major supplier of many products to many countries.”

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