High commodity prices push cost of living through the roof
BUSINESS
A shopper at Samrat Supermarket in Nyeri .[Kibata Kihu,Standard]
Kenyans might have been spared when the proposed 16 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on bread was struck out in the Finance Bill, 2021, but this has offered little relief on the high cost of living.
Even before the Bill was signed into law, which imposed more taxes on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and airtime, Kenyans were still finding it hard to afford basic commodities whose prices have shot up by almost 50 per cent in less than a year.
Cooking oil, maize and baking flour, bar soap, sugar and rice are just some of the items that are costing much more compared to 2020. Of these, cooking oil takes the lead with a price increase of 48 per cent.