By JANE WAITHIRA
Tea farmers in Murang’a County have opposed the proposed 0.8 per cent levy on earnings contained in the Tea Bill, saying it will significantly reduce their returns.
The farmers described the levy as an additional burden on an already overtaxed commodity and called for its withdrawal.
Farmers affiliated with Githambo Tea Factory in Kiharu said the sector is already facing numerous challenges and that imposing the levy will only worsen their situation.
They argued that returns from tea have been declining over the past few years, causing financial strain and forcing many farmers into debt.
Nahason Maina, a tea farmer, said tea has been the community’s main source of livelihood for decades, but there appear to be deliberate efforts to cripple the sector.
“Tea has been our primary source of income, but we continue to face new levies that keep reducing our earnings,” said Maina.
“We are heading towards a situation where we will no longer be able to sustain our families due to the meagre returns from the crop,” he added.
Maina urged leaders from tea-growing regions to defend farmers’ interests by ensuring the proposal does not pass in Parliament.
“We are urging our leaders to ensure this proposal does not go through because it amounts to the exploitation of farmers through excessive taxation,” he said.
Another farmer, Magrate Njeri, warned that the new levy could undermine the competitiveness of Kenyan tea in the global market and negatively affect the industry’s growth.
“Increased taxation could push exporters to source tea from other tea-producing countries,” she said.
“The government should adopt farmer-friendly policies instead of introducing measures that discourage investment in the tea sector,” she added.
Njeri noted that before introducing new taxes, the government should first address the challenges facing farmers.
“We need policies that increase farmers’ earnings, not reduce them,” she said.
Their sentiments were echoed by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who vowed to oppose the proposed levy in the National Assembly, insisting that any policy affecting the tea sector must take into account the welfare and livelihoods of farmers.
“The tea sector has created jobs, educated generations of children and supported thousands of households. Any reforms must be informed by meaningful stakeholder engagement and should strengthen the sector, not weaken it,” said Nyoro.
