Emotions run high after MPs authorise Uhuru to tax Kenyans more

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Thursday upheld the House decision on the 8 per cent fuel tax proposal.

This means Kenyans will have to pay the Value Added Tax on fuel and the new development has not been received well.

Here is what Kenyans had to say after the proposed changes to Finance Bill 2018 finally sailed through.

Speaker Muturi had suspended the sitting for 15 minutes for the review after MPs had disputed earlier results.

Muturi confirmed that there were 215 MPs in the House, a number he said did not meet the threshold for a vote.

According to the Kenyan law, at least 233 of the 349 MPs must be in the House before any voting on such matter is done.

Some MPs that opposed the imposition of 8% VAT on petroleum products engaged in a shouting match amid anti-majority leader Aden Duale slogans, protests and chants.

Kenyans should brace themselves for hard economic times as sending money via mobile money transfer service will be more expensive.

The price of super petrol will now be expected drop to Sh118 from Sh127.8 per litre in Nairobi, while that of diesel will drop to Sh107 from Sh115.

Kerosene will go down to Sh90.89 from Sh97.41.

It will also be painful withdrawing cash from an ATM, transferring money from your bank account into your mobile money wallet or just depositing a banker’s cheque for your child’s school fees after the Government proposed doubling taxes on all bank as well as mobile money transactions.

Time spent on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp or Twitter will be more precious, as tax changes will see the cost of Internet bundles go up.

President Uhuru said last week the Finance Bill 2018 fell short of acceptable threshold as it only protected the status quo and sacrificed the bigger vision.