KENYA: Catholic Bishops denounce Increase of Tax Levy on Fuel
Rt. Rev. John Oballa Owaa, Chairman KCCB-Catholic Justice & Peace Commission
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has denounced the high percentage of taxes which the Kenya Government has recently imposed on fuel resulting in rise of cost of basic commodities that the population consumes, arguing that they are hitting hard on the the poorest demographic of the country.
This follows Parliamentarians’ approval of an increase of tax levy on fuel by over 25%, which has eventually seen the cost of transportation of goods, bus fares and basic commodities also rising to what the Conference has termed as ‘unimaginable cost’.
In a statement released on September 3, 2018 at the Conference’s Secretariat in Nairobi and signed by the KCCB Chairman, Rt. Rev. John Oballa, the Catholic bishops have urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to carefully consider the consequences of the legislators’ decision on the life of the poor citizenry, and to find other options of raising founds for Government’s functioning, including addressing the problem of corruption and wasteful expenditure in the public sector.
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By Rev. Fr. Andrew Kaufa, AMECEA Social Communications Coordinator
