MCAs Snub Residents, Triple Taxes Sparking Protests
Protests broke out in Mombasa on Saturday as shopkeepers held peaceful demonstrations over the county government’s new taxes on their companies.
The outraged businessmen said that the levies were part of the Mombasa Finance Bill 2024, which was imposed without sufficient public input or permission by the County Assembly.
A public participation meeting scheduled for the Tononoka Social Hall was canceled due to the absence of county assembly members, sparking protests.
They said that, despite the fact that the financial bill had not yet been passed, ordinary charges such as business licenses and taxes had quadrupled and others tripled without notice.
“We were paying Ksh30,000, now we are paying Ksh150,000, Ksh110,000 and others Ksh77,000,” one of the protesters, who runs a business at the Coast, stated.
“For a business permit, we were paying Ksh22,500 and now it is Ksh40,000 and yet we were discussing this bill which has already been implemented.
Mombasa county Finance Bill
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) November 16, 2024
Traders oppose proposed Mombasa county Finance Bill
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Mwende: Most taxes have been increased by over 100 percent#CitizenWeekend @OBurrows pic.twitter.com/QHvROpHUKa
“I personally have gone to the county offices to pay for medicals and liquor clearance has hiked. We are coming to discuss a bill which is already implemented,” he added.
To clarify the situation, they indicated that they understood why they needed to pay taxes while doing their companies, but the county could not justify doubling or tripling some of the fees.
“As much as we cannot operate a business without tax, they should bring on reasonable charges and we will comply with it,” another added.
“Right now, they are getting very low revenue but when they lower the charges, more people will be able to comply.”
This is the second city in the country where locals have taken to the streets to protest increased fees in less than a week.
On Thursday, November 14, Eldoret City citizens protested an up to 300% rise in water tariffs, which was similarly implemented without prior notice.
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Despite the outraged citizens’ strong objection, they said that their pleas to lower the rates went unheard since the city water company informed them that Eldoret had converted into a city, necessitating the high prices.
“Does it mean that now that it is a city all prices go up? We need to attract investors,” one of the Eldoret City residents stated.
“How do we attract investors if the water bill has gone so high that most of us will not be able to sustain our lives?”
This new development comes as the national government has also submitted three laws in parliament, restoring key bills from the previous Finance Bill 2024, which was repealed.
MCAs Snub Residents, Triple Taxes Sparking Protests
