Kenyan legislators have let the citizens down by failing to tackle the high taxation among many other critical issues affecting the common man Alego/Usonga member of parliament, Samuel Atandi has said.
And Atandi is challenging his colleagues in the august house to ensure that they work towards taming the monster that has led to high cost of living in the coming financial year.
Speaking at the Siaya Institute of technology grounds in Siaya town today while presiding over the official closure of this year’s Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) Nyanza region annual general meeting, Atandi lamented that virtually all employees, both in the public and private sector were struggling to cater for their families.
“The ripple effects of overtaxation will affect the education sector. An overtaxed worker will not have resources to support his or her family and will hence not deliver,” he said.
He said that it was wrong for the government to heap the burden of developing the country on employed Kenyans while leaving out other citizens, adding that this has led to a slowdown in economic growth.
“The government must stop assuming that if one is employed, then he or she has excess money,” said the Alego-Usonga legislator, adding that this assumption has led to the Kenyan workers being milked dry.
On education, the legislator challenged his colleagues to support the education sector by increasing its budget from the current Ksh. 670 billion to at least Ksh. one trillion.
“It is time members of parliament support the education sector as required,” he said, adding “with a sh. 4 trillion budget, I do not think if we give one trillion to the education sector, we will lose”.
Atandi said that the sector was crucial to the country’s development.
He said it was worrying that the capitation sent by the government to schools was not sufficient to cater for all the needs.
By Philip Onyango
