EDITORIAL: Planned rise in water bills will only hurt consumers

There seems to be no end in sight to the ever expanding tax burden on Kenyans. Water consumers are now in for another hit on their wallets after the Kenya Revenue Authority got the nod to charge VAT on sewerage services.

Caught up in the battle between the taxman and the water services regulator are the consumers.

The water sector regulator had opposed KRA’s demand that it charges and remits tax on sewerage services, arguing that they are tax exempt.

But the attorney-general in his legal opinion supported the taxman’s position that sewerage services are not exempt from tax.

Water companies are now expected to increase tariffs in line with the VAT charge. The Water Services Regulatory Board is set to include the 16 per cent VAT charge in water bills.

But what is most annoying to water consumers is that even as they are expected to pay higher water bills, they are still not assured of adequate supply of clean and safe water.

There is currently an acute water shortage in many parts of the country and consumers have been left at the mercy of rogue water vendors who are making a killing from their misery. If one takes a walk around residential estates, burst sewers and uncollected garbage are a common sight.

We aver that it’s unacceptable to raise water bills yet consumers are not assured of enough supply of the commodity.

For the consumers, their main concern in the impasse is that no one is dwelling on the need to ensure that they get access to clean and adequate water.

We urge the State agencies to drop their hard-line positions and find a solution to the matter.

The time has come when targeting the already tax-burdened Kenyans for more levies should come to an end.

For too long taxpayers have been seen as the easier option when effecting new charges yet the services they are paying for are not commensurate with the levies.

We opine that policymakers must know that any charges levied on consumers should always be in tandem with service delivery.

The current culture of always taking Kenyans for granted must end.