Tax amnesty offer will be driven off the road

Some months, the President visited the United States and promised many things to Kenyans living there and announced that they would be allowed to bring in right-hand drive vehicles duty-free starting this month.

I am reliably informed that the sunny bunnies have started trooping in looking to cash in, on the President’s promise.

In August, he had pledged that the government would facilitate those with left-hand drive vehicles to substitute them with right-hand-drive ones and import them duty-free.

However, there was a delay as the East African Community (EAC) had to be consulted.

Under the programme, those who reside in countries like the United States, where there are left-hand drive vehicles, will be allowed to import a right-hand vehicle of similar value duty-free.

The President said the government would be vigilant to avoid those who would seek to exploit the system.

“Don’t try to import a Range Rover when you have been driving a Toyota where you live because that would be cheating Kenyans of their taxes,” he said.

It appears that he knows his people well.

Only a Kenyan who has spent his last ten or so years doing all sorts of duties, including flipping burgers or looking after octogenarians, would attempt to bring a Ferrari or a Porsche duty-free and hope to sell it by the time he drives past Changamwe roundabout on his way to the hinterland.  

So, how will the government ensure that conniving Kenyans living abroad do not steal from Wanjiku?

For starters, the government needs to be reminded that it is very possible that a good number of Kenyans abroad, set to benefit from this generosity, may have previously benefited from other government initiatives such as Higher Education Loans Board, only for them to bolt across the Atlantic without repaying a single cent.

Though there has been a lot of talk about the billions of shillings remitted by the Diaspora community, it should not be forgotten that Kenya has invested heavily in infrastructure, courtesy of Wanjiku who has diligently been paying her taxes.

Lest we forget, this is the same Wanjiku who despite opportunities to flee the country, has stayed put and believed in the country and continued to build it.

Those who took off from Kenya, as if it was a burning house,  are now set to be rewarded.

How will a government that has been kept quite busy by insecurity matters ensure that the President’s good intentions are not misrepresented?

How will it ensure that Kenyans who have been driving the equivalent of a Toyota Probox do not attempt to cheat the system by buying an expensive vehicle in the last weeks prior to lining up to be a beneficiary of the new scheme?

Furthermore, in a country where it is not uncommon to get ghost workers in a public payroll, how sure are we that we will not have ghost importers of vehicles keen to follow up on the President’s offer?