The 2021-22 budget read on Thursday has not eased economic pressure on the poor, with the policy majorly serving the rich, further widening the inequality gap. Stop Crime Kenya (StoCK) said drastic tax increases announced in the budget are forcing already hard-hit citizens to pay for the government’s failure to combat illicit trade. “Households will have to pay more for essential goods, including bread, baby milk and cooking oil, yet the exchequer continues to lose more than Sh150 billion in taxes annually as a direct result of illicit trade,” Mutoro said. He added that the government should make a concerted stand against illicit trade by plugging the country’s porous borders and enforcing trading laws. Eric Mwangi, a trader in Westlands, Nairobi, told the Star he never understood how the budget serves the common mwananchi.

Source: The Star June 13, 2021 01:52 UTC