Former Deputy President has launched a new offensive against President William Ruto.
Gachagua singled out punitive taxes rolled out by President William Ruto’s administration as the next frontier of his war which he christened “rescue the payslips”.
In a video address via TikTok from his Wamunyoro home, Gachagua slammed the government for having no mercy on payslips with new deductions coming into effect.
We want to rescue the payslip because the payslip iliguzwa na iko shida mingi sana. (We want) to restore the dignity of the payslip so that the people are able to do their things.
In apparent reference to the Tax Amendment Act and the Tax procedures Acto which were rolled out on December 27, 2024, Gachagua accused the Ruto regime of going too far at a time when the economic s
Increased taxation
The changes left taxpayers with less money in their pockets with the payslip becoming even slimmer.
Notable changes set to come into effect include the doubling of National Social Security Fund (NSSF) contributions for workers earning above Ksh.36,000, set to increase from Ksh.2,160 to Ksh.4,320.
The Tax Amendment and the Tax Procedures Acts saw the government also go after players in the digital space with the government replacing the digital service tax with the economic presence tax and doubling it from 1.5% to 3% of turnover.
It went a step further with a 5% withholding tax on digital platforms with players in the sector left with reduced income.
For our young people, those who are talented and in the online space, we are going to have a conversation with our young people so that they can tell me what they think we can do and what we can put in place so that their lives may be better.
They can earn money, they can be able to communicate, they can be able to be heard, their talents can be acknowledged and everybody can know who has power to do what…that is what I’m planning but most important is to engage with the young people.
Salaried Kenyans feel the pinch
The fight is likely to gain traction especially among salaried Kenyans who are already feeling the weight of increased taxation under the Kenya Kwanza regime.
Players in the digital media space that has been thriving and offering opportunities to Kenya’s youth will also be affected.