Rotich: Extra funds would have gone to the arts
The Kenyan government has overwhelmingly rejected a plan to raise the country’s gaming tax to 50 percent.
The current tax on sports betting is 7.5 percent. Lotteries are taxed at 5 percent, and there’s a 15 percent tax rate on cash prize competitions.
Last month the Kenyan parliament voted last week to apply the 50 percent rate to gaming, lottery and other revenues and keep the current 7.5 percent rate on sports bets. But in a second vote, lawmakers rejected the change outright.
Kenyan Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich, the chief proponent of the tax hike, said it would have discouraged problem gambling and also raised additional funds for cultural and arts programs in Kenya.
“The expansion of the industry has had negative social effects on society, especially on the youth and vulnerable members of society,” said Rotich when he introduced the bill.
