tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11468524.post111091590413907437..comments2023-07-17T10:05:24.359+00:00Comments on UHURU NI HAKI: How will you and I hustle and achieve our fullest potential when our 'leaders' have so much power which they use to cripple our efforts at everyturn?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11468524.post-1110919147401302922005-03-15T20:39:00.000+00:002005-03-15T20:39:00.000+00:00BY John Oyuke Cotu has supported a recent Governme...BY John Oyuke <BR/><BR/><BR/>Cotu has supported a recent Government move to increase duty on used clothes, commonly referred to as mitumba.<BR/><BR/>The Central Organisation of Trade Unions also accused dealers in the imported used clothes of trying to force the Government to reduce tax on the goods.<BR/><BR/>The union’s Secretary-General, Mr Francis Atwoli, asked the Government not to reverse the decision and urged higher duty on all imported products that could be manufactured locally, including shoes.<BR/><BR/>"The Government stand is justified and will be beneficial to the economy of this country in the long-term," he said.<BR/><BR/>He noted that local textile industry had collapsed due to mitumba <BR/><BR/>Atwoli said yesterday that factories, which provided a living to many people such as Kicomi, Rivatex, Raymonds, KenKnit and Kenya Textile Mills (KTM), were subjected to unfair competition from mitumba until they collapsed for lack of protection.<BR/><BR/>"Cotu supports the Government on this matter. Not that the people who depend on mitumba are not important but because the textile industry will bring more economic value to this country in terms of development," he said.<BR/><BR/>He said the revival of the textile industry would result in more jobs, both directly and indirectly and give cotton farmers an opportunity to earn a living. <BR/><BR/>The new tariffs, imposed over a week ago, require traders to pay Sh60 for a kilogramme of clothes, up from Sh20. It will see traders paying Sh2 million in duty for a container of 550 bales weighing 24,750 kilogrammes — up from about Sh560,000 to Sh800,000. <BR/><BR/>The increase sparked angry demonstrations by traders in Nairobi and Mombasa.Neemahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09666436365572817914noreply@blogger.com