Victoria Kimani: Only Content Creators Showing Off Millions Should Pay Ruto's 15% Tax
Kimani further challenged the government to use the proposed tax for the right reasons...
Marvin Chege 
Kenyan singer and songwriter, Victoria Kimani on Saturday, June 10 revealed that only content creators who display opulence and a flashy lifestyle should be subjected to a 15 per cent tax on digital products, and not content creators entirely.
Speaking during an interview on TV47's Bomba La Sanaa show, the China Love hitmaker called for content creators starting out on their craft to be spared from the tax proposal on content creators as indicated in the Finance Bill.
Instead, she suggested that the government should target content creators making millions of shillings and showcasing their fast-paced life full of fame and fortune on social media with the belief that they can afford to pay the tax.
President Ruto and CS Ababu Namwamba enjoy entertainment during the Talanta Hela launch at State House, Nairobi on June 9, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO
"I have two takes, the first one is I don't think it's fair for up-and-coming content creators because they don't even make enough money.
"My second take is for the people who can afford it...they're on social media, they're flaunting that they have it so they should be able to afford it," she stated.
Kimani further challenged the government to use the proposed tax for the right reasons, adding that President William Ruto's administration should set up opportunities for creatives to make money from their work, which it is currently doing from the newly-launched Talanta Hela Programme.
She believed that with more opportunities, more jobs would arise for content creators, thus would be realistic for content creators to pay the tax.
"I would hope that the tax would get into the right hands. If they want to demand a 15 per cent tax they need to create opportunities, more opportunities for creatives to make money because without those opportunities, you're relying on our sweat, not rewarding us nor supporting us and then you're taxing us, it's unfair.
"If the opportunities are created and there is a plethora of jobs for creative content creators, then it makes sense, otherwise it's not good," she went on.
Talanta Hela was launched by President Ruto on Friday, June 9 at State House in an elaborate event attended by sports personalities, artists, and government dignitaries.
The initiative was formed under the directive of the president with the aim of monetizing the talents of Kenyans in the creative and sports industries.
Following the president’s directive, the Cabinet Secretary for Sports on February 10, 2023, formulated the council comprising two committees in Sports and Creatives through a gazette notice, which was revoked by Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba, hours before the launch took place.
Kimani's remarks came after Lang'ata Member of Parliament, Phelix Oduwour, popularly known as Jalang'o on Friday, June 9 called out content creators opposing the tax, accusing them of being dishonest in their protests against the proposed Finance Bill 2023 and noting that they had no valid reason for their objections.
"Some of the things I was being asked when we were going through the social media pages of different content creators, for example, was, Your very good friend Oga Obinna has turned 33 and he says he has gifted himself a very small gift which is a Volkswagen (VW) Tuareg 2018-2019, which cost him close to Ksh5-Ksh7 million," he continued.
"They came and showed me a video where Amber Ray claims she spends Ksh300,000 every day. They showed me a couple of other content creators such as Eve Mungai, Akothee, Nicholas Kioko, Mulamwah, Vincent Mboya, Abel Mutua, and The WaJesus family, among others and it's so hard," he went on.
The National Assembly’s Finance Committee cited the 15 per cent digital tax for content creators among seven contentious issues in the Finance Bill that it considered as most contested during its eight days of public participation hearing.
Reports indicate that the legislators may opt to either reduce the percentage to 5 per cent or do away with the digital tax altogether.
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