If the County Assembly of Kisumu passes Finance Bill 2019/20 after it resumes from recess, it will be a huge burden to traders carrying out their businesses in Kisumu.
This is because the bill proposes new levies in an attempt to widen the revenue base which will be used to run county activities.
According to the Standard Digital, the fish industry will be affected by the bill as it proposes the introduction of fish processing fee of Sh2,000 and traders who sell fish will pay Sh500 which has increased by Sh.300 from the current fee.
The Governor Anyang' Nyong'o-led administration also targets to raise Sh30 million from boda boda business. They had tried to implement a directive which required bodaboda riders to pay Sh500 last year but it resulted to street protests as the operators resisted paying the tax.
The construction industry has not been spared. A person ferrying more than 15 tonnes of building materials will be forced to part with Sh1,000 per trip.
In the medical field, the cost of delivery and treatment will shoot up. The fee of delivery will be Sh3,000 but the mothers will have to pay an additional Sh500 for a day in the maternity ward.
The cost of surgery when giving birth will rise from Sh1,250 to Sh3,500.
An MCA who is also a member of the budget committee who sought anonymity said that the budget was still under review.
“There are recommendations that we received from the Controller of Budget (CoB) and it is in our interest to ensure that we also meet our revenue targets,” said the MCA as quoted by Standard Digital.
Kisumu County revenue had declined by Sh34 million according to Controller of Budget report of last month.
It drastically fell from Sh876 million (2017-2018 financial year) to Sh842 million (2018-2019 financial year).