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| Kenyan Prime Minister in Norway asking for money while stopping tax revenue from being collected 600M USD |
| [12.10.2011, 02:34pm, Wed. GMT] |
Kenyans Prime Minister Raila Odinga urged international energy institutions on Monday to make available to Kenya money to fund projects so that the country can meet its development goals while stopping tax revenue from being collected 600M USD. Speaking at an energy conference in Norway, Mr Odinga recalled that French Energy minister Eric Besson had recently told him that “Africa is a dark continent.”Mr Besson explained, the prime minister recounted, that satellite maps show Europe to be widely lit at night, but in Africa some lights are visible in parts of the north and south while the rest of the continent is dark.
“In the past, we fought the description of a dark continent politically,” Mr Odinga told the meeting on energy access for the poor.
“But it is a physical reality that Africa is dark, and the only way to fight it is lighting Africa.”
The PM outlined progress Kenya has made in bringing electricity to rural areas.
He said many Kenyans living in villages can now charge mobile phones and use computers — options that were previously available only to city dwellers.
“Rural health centres have refrigerators to store vital vaccines, and babies born before full term have a chance at life thanks to effective incubators," said Mr Odinga.
The Kerosene-Free Kenya program seeks to provide additional access to clean energy sources, he added.
“I strongly appeal to the government of Norway to consider supporting this program,” Mr Odinga said, noting that the initiative aims to make solar lanterns, green charcoal and efficient stoves available to 10 million households within the next two years.
He also called for investment to tap Kenya's vast geothermal reserves.
Only 200 megawatts have so far been exploited out of the 7,000 megawatts of geothermal power that Kenya is believed capable of producing, Mr Odinga said. Bringing 5,000 of those megawatts by 2030 to help Kenya meet its Millennium Development Goals will require an investment of at least $18 billion, he noted.
The international energy conference in Oslo was also addressed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Kenyan Tax revenue 600M USD.
Lack of enforceable tax code or left open for individual review and consideration by the taxpayers.
The outcome is negative for the Kenyan economy and therefore for the development of the Kenyan society. This also allows for the Kenyan government to keep pleading and asking for large amount of financial aid and benefits as they can argue reduced tax revenue.
Norway News has a file is organized in a timeline of correspondence between the parties from 2007 to 2010, starting with a summary describing Mastermind Tobacco Tax Arrears Interim report, continuing with an overview of relevant Kenyan customs and excise laws and acts.
The file then provides detailed correspondence between MM and KRA, including a letter from the Prime Ministers Office dated 4th May, 2010 directing KRA to put on hold enforcement actions instituted against MM.
It is clear that if Kenya would enforce and ensure that all large taxpayers such as MM Kenya would meet their tax obligations Kenya would be able to secure increased revenue stream.
However, as long as the KRA is unwilling to enforce its mandate upon selective corporations the problem of funding Government operation and meeting budget requirements will persist.
The amounts in outstanding taxes amounts to over 60M USD By allowing for this KRA is enabling an unfair and unbalanced business environment and more importantly depriving the people of Kenya revenue required for building a better society by developing hospitals, better education, building and repairing infrastructure etc.
It is clear that the international community must engage at the highest level of Kenyan government to rectify these large shortcomings of KRA and most likely by other Kenyan powerbrokers.
Allowing the Kenyan government to neglect its core duties towards it people and then reward them with increasing aid and looking the other way is in no shape or form justice to the people of Kenya.
Without a just and competent KRA the private enterprise in Kenya are suffering massive unfair and unbalanced playing field, this again ensures less private investment into Kenyan industry and will often force startups to choose between being an ethical and moral startup and one that chooses to engage in unsavory and immoral dealings with government officials.
On behalf of Kenyan taxpayers and as members of society Norway News strongly urge every one to utilize your influence to ensure that pressure is put upon the Kenyan government to move this crucial issue to the top of the priority list of Kenya and its generous donors.
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