MadamEconomist

Did you tune in yesterday? Youth-led Solutions!! "Youth bring the asset of empathy to development solutions for long lasting positive change." - Mamta Murthi #WBGYouthSummit #InvestinPeople #madameconomist ✍ live.worldbank.org/events/world-b… blogs.worldbank.org/youth-transfor…

...VAT Act amendment tomorrow 🤔

🇰🇪 EPRA fuel prices revision, CS National Treasury revised the Value Added Tax rate from 13% to 8% Revised prices: ◇ Super Petrol, Kes 197.60 ◇ Diesel, Kes 196.63 ◇ Kerosene, Kes 152.78 ... more development on the way 🤔

Exploring Kenya's fuel tax history, dynamics & impacts With grok. Short 🧵 1. Early Foundations: pre-1990s *** Taxes & levies account for 40-50+ of pump prices (sometimes exceeding the base product cost itself) contributing to high regional prices

JPM on oil #oott #iran

🔴LIVE: Driving Growth and Jobs through Energy Learn how the World Bank Group is expanding energy access to create jobs, growth, and opportunity with reliable, least-cost, country-driven solutions. 👇Watch and take part in #WBGMeetings twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

The global investment landscape is undergoing a transformation. What does the data tell us about what’s changing, and who's being left behind? Browse through the data visualizations: wrld.bg/k7lZ50YIUXV

Accordingly, we have recalculated the maximum retail pump prices that will be in force from 16th April 2026 to 14th May 2026 taking into account this revised Value Added Tax rates.

Pursuant to Legal Notice No. 70 dated 15th April 2026, the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury has revised the Value Added Tax rate from 13% to 8%.

The decreed reduction in Value Added Tax on diesel, kerosene and petrol from 13% (as adjusted on April 14), to 8% (a 50% drop), raises some interesting questions.

The world's energy mix still relies heavily on fossil fuels. But the war should spur faster adoption of renewable energy, strengthening resilience to energy shocks, improving energy security and supporting the climate transition.

Our new WEO is out. War in the Middle East has halted the positive global momentum. The shock transmits through 3 channels: higher commodity prices; broadening inflation dynamics and rising inflation expectations; and a tightening of financial conditions that dampens demand.

STARTING SOON. “Safeguarding Economic Integrity: Confronting Corruption and Illicit Flows.” Amid global uncertainty, strengthening economic integrity is critical to protecting stability and sustaining public trust. Watch live:  youtube.com/watch?v=cCjea6…

LIVE NOW: Join me as I brief the press on the IMF’s 2026 Global Policy Agenda. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Results For Reopened Thirty and New Thirty-Year Treasury Bonds Issue NOs. SDB1/2011/030 and FXD1/2026/030 Dated 20/04/2026

The latest IMF Fiscal Monitor finds that global government debt is set to reach 100% of GDP by 2029 – two years earlier than expected, driven overwhelmingly by high debt in the United States and China. Explore our analysis here: imf.org/en/publication…

TOMORROW Thursday, April 16, at 9:15 AM ET (1:15 PM GMT): Join us for a live press briefing with @aselassie on sub-Saharan Africa's economic outlook as the world navigates the impact of the war in the Middle East. Watch here: imf.org/en/publication…

Even with the 3% reduction of fuel VAT from 16% to 13%, overall taxes still went up as follows: 1. Kerosene - +23.2% 2. Diesel - +8.5% 3. Petrol - +1.4% VAT per litre recorded the highest jump with kerosene posting the largest gain. 1. Kerosene - +42.4% 2. Diesel - +15.6% 3. Petrol - -1.0% Is it high time we thought of a fuel specific consumption tax if the actual need is to cushion the consumer? This would work very well and maybe the shortfall in VAT would be offset by more fuel demand.

The hike in landed costs makes taxes and levies charged on fuel products look so little😅. And in the history of subsidies, this is the highest we've seen for kerosene in recent history, followed by the Kes 74.17 per litre we saw in August 2022

@ndungup_ @CharlieTTEcon Kenya G2G fuel premium is not the same variable as premium in global commodity pricing... Premium = supplier margin + financing cost + logistics risk adjustment It's fixed not market derived...

Rethinking Fuel Taxation in Kenya Yesterday, the Government of Kenya, through the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, took a decisive step to cushion consumers from rising fuel costs by temporarily reducing VAT on petroleum products from 16% to 13%. (April–July 2026). Sec6(1) of the VAT Act empowers the CS to reduce by up to 25.0% While this offers short-term relief, it also reopens a deeper policy question: Is it time to shift from ad valorem tax to a specific tax on fuel? Currently, VAT is ad valorem ( it rises and falls with fuel prices. In a highly volatile and globally influenced oil market, this means: -When prices spike, taxes automatically increase -Consumers bear amplified costs beyond global price shocks A specific tax system, where tax is charged per unit (e.g., per litre), offers a fundamentally different approach. Instead of being tied to price, taxation is based on quantity, effectively delinking tax from global price movements. A specific tax regime could offer: -More stable and predictable fuel pricing -Better consumer protection from global price volatility The bigger question -- Do we want a tax system that reacts to global oil prices, or one that buffers citizens from them? A shift to specific tax regime may not be a silver bullet but it could be a step toward stability in an otherwise unpredictable and higly volatile energy market. #TaxPolicy #VAT #FuelPrices #PublicFinance #EconomicPolicy