Starting July 1st, Kenyans who are already hard hit by the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) will now have to pay more for a wide range of goods including fuel, bottled water, juice and beer following imposition of new taxes by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on the products.
The taxman will increased excise duty chargeable on over 31 goods by about 5.5 pc, meaning the retail prices will spike from next month.
This is even as the cost of living continued to rise while consumers continued to get hurt by job cuts and unpaid leave in the wake of the pandemic.
Super petrol will go up by Sh1.16 as dealers’ inflation-adjusted excise duty rises to Sh22.07 a litre from the current Sh20.91. Kerosene and diesel prices will also be more expensive, rising by Sh0.60 a litre.
Spirits will cost Sh13.40 more from Sh253 per litre, while wine will be added a sh10.41 tax from the current Sh189 per litre. Firms like East African Breweries Limited (EABL) have already upped beer prices by Sh10 per bottle.
Cigarettes, cigars, fruit juices and motorcycles will also cost a tad more.
The Treasury says the measures are being put in place to help to make up for revenue lost to the impact of the coronavirus crisis by covering just half of the Sh3.23 trillion budget for the year starting July.
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