President Ruto: I Plan to Raise Taxes From 14% to 22% Before My Term Ends

President William Ruto has disclosed that he intends to raise the country's tax rate from the current 14 percent to possibly 22 percent before he leaves office. 

Speaking on Tuesday, May 14, during an engagement with the Harvard Business School’s Class of 2025 at State House, the president said that he intends to raise the rate to 16 percent by the end of this year.

The Head of State remarked that when he assumed office, he told Kenyans to tighten their belts as he was not going to preside over a bankrupt country. 

“My drive is to push Kenya and possibly this year we will be at 16% from 14%. I want in my term, God willing, to leave it at between 20 and 22 %. It's going to be difficult. I have a lot of explaining to do, people will complain, but I know finally they will appreciate that the money we go to borrow from the World Bank is savings from other countries,” the president said.

The president, however, defended the tax rate in the country, stating that it is way below that of the country's peers.

"Our peers in the continent are on an average of between 22 and 25 percent, which means our taxes are way below those of our peers,” President Ruto added.

The Head of State maintained that he wanted the country to live within its means even as he acknowledged the burden the taxes were putting on the taxpayer.  

Here is the video;