Raila Odinga, leader of the Azimio la Umoja Coalition, has stated that when the planned Finance Bill 2023 is submitted in Parliament, he will gather his troops to reject it.

He referred to the tax bill as a promissory note intended to strangle and suffocate the hustlers from whose necks Ruto pledged to loosen the rope and vowed to do all in his power to prevent the Bill from being passed in the National Assembly.

The Azimio leader claimed that Kenyans are being overtaxed and internal Kenya Kwanza'a shortcomings are to blame.

PHOTO | COURTESY Raila Odinga

During a press conference on Monday, the opposition leader said they would instruct their members to pause the proposals in this Bill. He added that If Kenya Kwanza uses its hired majority to pass the Bill as it is, they want Kenyans to understand that it will be a Kenya Kwanza Bill.

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According to Raila, deception is written all over the Bill, which he claims will hurt small and medium-sized enterprises by taxing their gross sales regardless of whether they profit.

Instead, the Azimio leader recommended keeping the tax at 1% and applying it to Ksh.1 million or more gross sales.

According to the opposition leader, the proposed income tax adjustment will burden Kenyans, most of whom have yet to receive a pay rise in the last half a decade.

He maintained that direct taxes would lower the country's disposable income and influence all sectors of the economy.

Simultaneously, he criticized the proposed Housing Fund, claiming that the proposed 3% wage cut for funding accessible housing is "irrational" because most employees already have lower incomes due to high living costs.

PHOTO | COURTESY Raila Odinga

He also questioned the logic of the Tax Appeals Tribunal proposal, which would require people or companies to deposit 20% of the disputed sum with the KRA before hearing the case.

During his speech, Raila also opposed the increasing VAT payments and the higher excise charge on imported cement.

The planned taxes on beauty items are also among the points raised by Azimio.

The anticipated 36% increase in wigs, false beards, eyelashes, human hair, and artificial nails, among other products, will hurt adolescents and women currently employed in the business, according to Raila.

Raila also accused the government of strangling innovation by proposing a turnover tax on digital content monetization.