Business men and women at Kamukuywa market in Kimilili sub-county have expressed their dissatisfaction over the proposed finance bill fronted by the Bungoma County assembly’s Finance committee saying the proposed rates are too high to be managed.
Led by their chairman Ishmael Sumbule, the business operators lashed at the committee for conducting a shrewd public participation exercise to gather views of the stakeholders regarding the proposed new rates saying the people invited to participate were not genuine business operators at the market.
He added that Kamkuywa being one of the developing markets in the County does not attract many customers to their business premises as compared to other towns and markets saying therefore that the rates of tax payment need to reflect the area itself.
Consolata Wanjala, an owner of an agro vet at the market says she pays other charges apart from the license fee of twenty thousand shillings per year saying it is unfortunate that it will become very hard for her to sustain her business if more charges are imposed.
“I pay some charges for seeds, poison, council, performance contract, pay rent as well as electricity and also am servicing a loan that I took to boost my business, and at the end of the day I end up paying a lot of money yet the County government is proposing to add some charges, which is very unfair,” she said.
Another businessman Moses Wamalwa said operating a Juakali business is very strenuous saying they end up taking home peanuts at the end of the day yet they have to take care of their families’ needs, which include taking their children to school.
He said some of the display goods they have at their shops have only been taken on credit, adding that they only have some agreements with their suppliers that they will be paying for them in bits, saying the County officers should not take advantage of many displays and assume that their businesses are flourishing.
They, therefore, called upon the area MCA Moses Opicho, Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula, and Bungoma County governor Ken Lusaka to ensure the proposed new rates of taxation are not implemented saying as small and micro business operators they have to be protected by their leaders whom they elected. They further threatened to choose another leader in the forthcoming general election if the leaders will not help them solve their grievances.