Mitumba dealers urge tax cut

MITUMBA dealers in Nairobi's Gikomba market have complained of low business due to the government's failure to implement proposals to reduce import duty. In his budget speech, Finance minister Njeru Githae reduced import duty on mitumba containers from Sh1.9 million to Sh1.1 million.

“The government announced that they had reduced import duty but their proposals haven’t been implemented. We haven’t been able to clear our containers from the port since 1st of July because we are forced to pay the old fees,” said David Kimani a second hands clothes dealer at Gikomba. “People heard the finance minister and they come to us with the mentality that we have to sell to them at cheap prices yet we can't,” said Cosmas Maingi. The reductions were to be effective July 1.