Leaders allied to President William Ruto have received Azimio La Umoja one Kenya Alliance ’s call to boycott taxes as practice to civil disobedience, with mixed reactions.
National assembly majority leader Kimani Ichungwa was the latest to endorse the decision saying it will reduce the fuel demand whose ripple effect will lessen the pressure on the importation of fuel in the country.
The Kikuyu lawmaker says lowering demand on fuel will stabilize the shilling against the dollar, a move that will see the economy get back on its knees.
In a contrary opinion, Parliamentary Service Commissioner Johnson Muthama has criticized the clarion call to civil disobedience saying it will hamper government quest to deliver services to Kenyans.
‘With President William Ruto having assented the Finance Bill, let’s now give the government time to turn around the economy and this can only happen if all Kenyans play their role in building our country. Maandamano are regressive and detrimental to the future of our country.’
Muthama, has added that paying taxes is a patriotic duty to all individual and further cautioned Kenyas against embracing Azimio’s calls
The coalition Azimio has asked its supporters to among other raft of measures to weaken the economy, carpool from different destinations and or walk to work following the increase of VAT on petroleum products from 8 percent to 16 percent starting the next fiscal year.
Speaking at the Kamukunji grounds the coalition’s leader Raila Odinga urged all Kenyans to boycott the payment of tax in protest of the finance act 2023.