The world price of crude oil from which petrol, diesel, Kerosene, jet fuel are processed is at its lowest worldwide in so many decades. So why should Kenyans be paying the highest price for fuel in decades for petrol at Kshs. 123.36 per litre, diesel Kshs. 108,46 per litre, Kerosene Kshs. 98.68 per litre in Western Kenya.
Simple, the Government of Kenya is the one lumping up taxes on the real cost of fuel to finance its operations in the face of stagnation in the economy, low tax collections in the other traditional taxes levied to underwrite the Nations Annual Budgetary Statement.
Tax on fuel is the easiest and quickest way for a bankrupt Nation to raise revenue from its citizens to finance its bloated, wasteful budgetary estimates.
The Kenya elected leadership and its conniving public servants at both the National and County level will now and even more wantonly after the passage of BBI continue to hound you and me to finance its grandiose wasteful programmes and projects and to pay for the perks of the myriad of elective offices they propose to create via BBI. At the end of the day promises being made to you and me in the name of BBI will be financed by you and me the taxpayer.
Is it any wonder that the elected leadership that live of the fat of the taxpayer’s sweat are only making meek, weak whispers in the name of complaining about the outrageous fuel price increases as they do not dip in their pockets to fuel their luxurious vehicles.
Government has no money. It only administers as a trustee taxpayers monies, the taxes you and me pay and do not be fooled that BBI will create, bring you manna from somewhere. Ultimately the largesse of BBI will be financed by you and me paying more taxes like now you are paying through the increased fuel prices.
Yes, you and I are now having a taste of the poisoned chalice that BBI portends in the high fuel prices that were announced on 15th March 2021. The politicians’ activities that exaggerated fuel prices will cause on an already struggling economy.
The increase in fuel prices will be manifested in higher electricity bills higher transport costs, higher costs of production of manufactured goods, higher of everything.
In the United States of America, the Government is giving subsidies to Americans to ride through the economic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and in Kenya, the Governments is raiding the depleted, empty pockets of Kenyans to run its grandiose programmes? What a contrast and why? It is us who elected the Government and maybe we deserve what those we elected are dishing back to us. The General Elections, BBI are around the corner will we be any wiser or we are doomed to elect those who harm us, rob us and soothe us with empty rhetoric, promises.