Taxing Decisions
KENYA
Unrest in Kenya may have killed up to a dozen people this week, as protesters took to the streets of many cities to demonstrate against a series of unpopular tax hikes proposed by the government, CNN reported.
Human rights activists cited by the BBC put the death toll at 12, double the figure that Kenyan police reported killed in the demonstrations, which the government had banned last week, Agence France-Presse wrote.
The violence sparked over President William Ruto’s plan to raise taxes to shore up public finances and increase domestic revenue in Kenya, as per the Finances Act 2023. A Kenyan court initially ordered a temporary halt to the implementation of the act and its measures.
However, the government defied the court’s order and increased fuel prices, which led to a rise in the cost of transport and staple goods.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for continued protests over the tax hike. He has initiated a string of anti-governmental demonstrations this year after losing last year’s presidential elections to Ruto – a vote Odinga claims was “stolen.”
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