This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
As the economy continues to struggle, it's disheartening to see the government making policies that seem to be directed at the common Kenyan business person.
Recently, the Speaker of the Senate confessed that the economy is stalling and that leaders needed to have a candid discussion about it.
However, the meeting that followed was politically motivated, rather than a socio-economic agenda.
The government's actions are making the business environment hostile and the playground uneven.
Companies are being manhandled for tax compliance issues, which could have been resolved in the boardroom.
As a result, hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses are closing down every month, resulting in job losses and a loss of government income through taxes.
For instance, the government moved betting adverts to a watershed period, which led to some companies folding up.
These companies were giving the government hundreds of millions of shillings per month in taxes.
Now, the public coffers are seemingly empty.
The government has also moved alcoholic advertisements to a later time, which hurts stakeholders who were not consulted.
For example, a company that spends approximately Sh200 million annually in advertising will now have to move its budgets to online platforms.
This will result in significant revenue losses for media agencies and the government, which will lose taxes remitted by these agencies.
The money will likely go to foreign firms in Silicon Valley.
The government's actions are further unbalancing the ground by banning content on national TV stations, yet the content is readily available online.
This is a hostile move that will drive investors out of the country and into neighboring countries with a more friendly business environment.
The government is cutting its nose to spite its face, and the girl next door will benefit from our hard work and entrepreneurial skills.
Is the government throwing the bathwater with the baby?
Woe unto us!
— King'ori Wangechi via email
