Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has asked Members of Parliament (MPs) not to agree to Bills that seek more tax deductions on workers.
While addressing mourners during a funeral in Kakamega county, Atwoli specifically pleaded with Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali to dismiss the unemployment insurance authority Bill tabled before parliament.
The Bill which seeks to provide benefits to employees who become unemployed, proposes that employees contribute 1% of their salaries while the employer pays 1% per cent.
"The objective of the legislative proposal is to provide for the payment of unemployment benefits to employees who become unemployed," part of the bill read in parts.
The Unemployment Insurance Bill 2022, sponsored by Hon. Bernard Shinali, proposes set up of an Unemployment Insurance Fund to which the employer & employee will make contributions. The bill indicates benchmarking against South Africa where employees contribute 1.0% of pay matched… pic.twitter.com/hW3knXvHPw— Julians Amboko (@AmbokoJH) September 7, 2023
Weighing in on the Bill, Atwoli asked Shinyalu to reconsider since Kenyans are already struggling to survive the lean times.
He stated that the introduction of the additional taxes will setback the majority of workers who are already experiencing numerous deductions on their payslips.
Atwoli stressed that until the government figures out a way of spurring the country's economy, MPs should refrain from proposing additional burdens to Kenyans.
"Nataka kumwomba rafiki yangu Shinali awachane na hi maneno ya employment levy because payslips za watu zimejaa kukatwa we don't have anything left on our payslips. Kama hatujakua economically viable as a country. We are not in manufacturing, we are not in export business we cannot be able to grow our economy. Kenya Kwanza is now putting a mechanism into place to see whether it can spur economic growth.
"But before that kabla uchumi haujaenda juu tusiongeze mzigo mwengine kwa wafanyikazi, let us not add another burden to Kenyans," he added.
