Monday, June 15, 2009

The Uhuru Budget - Brief Take.

Firstly (and most importantly); I think the devil will be in implementation.

I think it was good to limit vehicles but what system will be put in place for occasions when officials may need 4x4's?

I think that tax reduction is a much more sustainable means of raising living standards than subsidies. However I felt that reducing taxes on cotton while at the same time reducing tax on Mitumba may be contradictory. Tourist vehicles will now be duty free?...how will these be categorized? Afterall, I believe a large number of tourist vehicles are bought standard and modified locally. (I may be wrong on that)

Sending more funds to constituency level is a good move as it should (theoretically) aid development, spur the constituency economies and increase accountability. I hope the plan includes a system to protect from misappropriation of funds.

Ofcourse, I would have liked to see MPs and constitutional office holders' allowances taxed, and a greater effort at curbing runaway recurrent expenditure.

All in all, I asked for a different budget..and that's what I believe Uhuru delivered. This budget has now placed more onus on the citizens. We need to get out there and start working to exploit the opportunities that have been opened up for us.

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