Re: [africa-oped] Re: KRA appointments

From: Joseph Okumu

To some of these people, you can educate them till your voice turn sour and they will never get it. When Moi came to power, Secondary school fees were in the region of KSh 700.00. At least I know at Maseno it used to be KSh 450.00 per year.

What are the changes in the prices of sugar, maize meal, matatu in Nairobi, sukuma wiki, Bus Transport, tooth paste, soap, torch batteries, Bed and Breakfast etc?. This is what is called Shopping Basket for house holds? UN has just released a report saying just the same thing about increase in poverty. What is that rate if inflation, interest rates, mortgage rates now are compared to 2001?

If inflation is running at two digit figure, deduct the GDP growth rate from it then lets see the net growth this man is talking about. It is negative.

The increase in tax revenues in due both to higher rate of inflation and the widening of tax bracket to include items which were not being taxed before. That alone does not amount to development.

For information of the likes of Kioko, Kenya stopped receiving budget support in 1992 when Moi was in Power. When Kibaki came in, funds were released in good faith.

Karua has been to BBC hard talk last night. She was hard pressed to defend Kibaki on tribalism, corruption, poverty reduction. She was told three million people in Nairobi live in slams. Is that an achievement when you brag about tax collection?

Surely, Kenyans amaze me! How can you be proud of paying more in taxes? The world over, citizens want lower taxes to keep more money in their pockets for their families and not give it to government to be wasted. Yet somebody writes to say congratulations to the government for collecting more of his money and wasting it- Madness. That is mentality of a slave