Treasury sets Ruto’s first budget at Sh3.64 trillion

The National Treasury building. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NMG

By DOMINIC OMONDI More by this Author

President William Ruto’s first budget has been set at Sh3.64 trillion, as Kenya’s fifth Head of State builds his economic legacy that promises to create jobs for millions of the poor.

Most of the new administration’s spending, which will begin next July, will be on programmes aimed at economic recovery, as Kenya tries to shrug off the negative effects of the Ukrainian war, Covid-19 and drought.

This will be an opportunity for President Ruto, through his Treasury Cabinet secretary, to actualise some of the campaign promises they made including lifting millions of the poor from poverty by implementing policies that favour those at the bottom of the pyramid.

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The new government wants to cut wasteful spending and has already dispensed with part of the fuel subsidy even as it retains subsidies on fertilisers to bring down food prices.

The budget of Sh3.64 trillion contained in the 2022 Budget Review and Outlook Paper (BROP) is an increase from an earlier estimate of Sh3.55 trillion and puts pressure on the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to aggressively collect taxes.

Revenues are expected to increase to Sh2.9 trillion compared to Sh2.82 trillion given in the 2022 Budget Policy Statement.

The difference of Sh695.2 billion will be plugged using debt, with domestic borrowing estimated at Sh496.6 billion and external borrowing at Sh496.6 billion.

“The government has launched the Hustlers Fund, as an intervention to correct market failure problems at the bottom of the pyramid. This programme aims to lift those at the bottom of the pyramid through structured products in personnel finance that includes savings, credit, insurance and investment,” said the Treasury in BROP 2022 which was released on Tuesday.

BROP 2022 provides the fiscal outturn for the financial year 2021/22, the macro-economic projections and set sector ceilings for the FY 2023/24 and the Medium-Term Budget.

The revised revenue projections, an increase of Sh76.9 billion compared to estimates in the 2022 BPS, are largely due to the Treasury’s expectation for improved economic performance in the near term.

Income tax, which includes revenues from employers and employees, was revised upwards from Sh1.18 trillion to Sh1.2 trillion, an indicator that the government foresees improved fortunes in the job market.

Excise duty has also been revised upwards to Sh352.7 billion from Sh346.9 billion following inflation adjustment on this tax head, popular known as the sin tax.

The Treasury now expects the taxman to collect more excise taxes from alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, fruit juice, sodas, bottled water, cosmetics and other beauty products.

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“To strengthen the fiscal position, the budget for FY2023/24 and over the medium term will focus on revenue mobilisation and containment of expenditure growth,” said the Treasury, adding that the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy being developed will guide tax reforms, improve the tax system and boost revenue over the medium-term.

With President Ruto calling for the KRA to include every adult into the tax bracket, the approved fiscal year 2022/23 budget, the Treasury says, broadens tax collection.

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