ODM's Etale praises the Finance Bill 2025 for being people-centric

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Director of Communications, Philip Etale, has praised the Finance Bill 2025, describing it as being favorable to the public.

On his official X account on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Etale asserted that the Bill exposed those responsible for inciting violence and encouraging the youth to cause unrest.

He also accused some government critics of planning to mobilize the youth for street protests, incite violence, and provoke the police, but claimed that these plans have now been thwarted.

Etale further called on political leaders to stop exploiting the youth for their own selfish agendas.

"I can confidently say that the 2025/2026 Finance Bill, which is beneficial to the people, has exposed the individuals behind violence and those inciting the youth to cause unrest. These individuals had planned to manipulate the youth, send them into the streets to provoke violence, and eventually confront the police, but now, they are left with nothing to do," Etale emphasized.

"We must not exploit Gen Z for our personal political gains. I stand for a united Kenya, no matter your stance on this."

This comes nearly a year after the previous Finance Bill 2024, which proposed a series of tax measures, was rejected by Kenyans through widespread protests that turned violent.

In a Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at State House and chaired by President William Ruto, Cabinet Secretaries approved the new bill, which primarily focuses on plugging loopholes and improving efficiency.

The bill also targets tax expenditures that have historically been abused to drain public funds, such as through inflated tax refund claims.

"A key aim of this bill is to close loopholes and improve efficiency, including addressing tax expenditure issues that have been used to siphon money from the public coffers, like inflated tax refund claims," a Cabinet communique stated.

Additionally, the bill seeks to minimize tax increases by improving tax administration through a new legislative framework.

It also proposes measures to streamline tax refund processes, close legal gaps that hinder revenue collection, and reduce tax disputes by amending the Income Tax Act, VAT Act, Excise Duty Act, and the Tax Procedures Act.

"Importantly, the bill aims to minimize tax-raising measures and instead enhance efficiency in tax administration through a new legislative structure. Notable provisions include improving tax refund processes, closing legal gaps that delay revenue collection, and reducing tax disputes through amendments to the Income Tax Act, VAT Act, Excise Duty Act, and the Tax Procedures Act," the communique noted.

The bill also proposes significant changes to benefit small businesses, allowing them to fully deduct the cost of tools and equipment used in their operations within the year of purchase, thus reducing delays in accessing tax relief.