Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Stand with Kenyans for tax justice


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Kenya’s poorest are about to be hit with a staggering 16% tax increase on basic goods, while large corporations enjoy huge tax breaks that only benefit the richest.
Kenya loses over US$ 1.1 billion a year from tax incentives, avoidance and exemptions,[1] more than the total budget for health and sanitation. But rather than crack down on corporate tax cheats, the government is proposing this huge increase tax on basic commodities like maize flour (Unga), bread and milk.
To make matters worse, talks have recently come to light between the City of London and the government, aimed at modelling Kenya’s financial system on the City: Tax Haven Capital of the World [2]. This is a worrying signal of the future direction of the country. People in Kenya know this, and are mobilising to reject the ‘Unga tax’ and demand a fairer, transparent tax system that drives development for everyone. They need your support.


Thousands of people in Kenya are coming together to protest this outrageous new tax. Stand with us in solidarity by signing this petition. The petition will be delivered to the Kenyan government.
Everyone in Kenya wants the country to develop as fast as it can; inequality and poverty are far too high. But if the new Kenyan government does this by copying the values and model of the Tax Haven Capital of the World, they will be handing over power, and the country’s future prosperity, to the global financial elite. Even the IMF says tax havens, and the system of tax avoidance and theft undermine development [3]. Kenya’s future can be built on the strengths and ingenuity of all of its people, not the secrecy and greed of the City of London.
Call on Kenya’s parliament to make Kenya truly the pride of Africa, setting an example of tax justice, rather than financial greed.


In hope,
/The Rules Team

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