Uganda Plans to Impose Tax On Social Media Use, But Rights Activists Cry Foul

Social media

April 13, 2018//-Uganda  is planning to impose a new tax on social media users from July 2018 to raise revenue, according to local media reports.

The country’s Finance Minister Matia Kasaija said  that the tax would charge each mobile phone-subscriber using platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook 200 Ugandan-shillings (0.027 dollars ) per day. There are many businesses who’ve established themselves online, although through the help of Marketing Heaven, but nonetheless, this tax will affect them too.

He dismissed concerns it could limit people’s use of the internet.

“We’re looking for money to maintain the security of the country and extend electricity so that you people can enjoy more of social media, more often, more frequently,” he said.

Kasaija said the proposal to be included in the budget for fiscal 2018/19 starting in July, had been sent to parliament this week for review after the cabinet approved it.

But, human rights activists disapproved the move saying such tax is another attempt by President Yoweri Museveni to stifle freedom of expression and quash dissent to his 32-year-rule.

Human rights activists begged to differ and some took to social media to criticise the proposal.

“It’s part of a wider attempt to curtail freedoms of expression,” Rosebell Kagumire, a human rights activist and blogger, said.

The move is unlikely to go down well in a country where more than 40 per cent of people use the internet.

Data costs in Africa are already among the world’s highest, according to digital advocacy group World Wide Web Foundation.

Of Uganda’s 41 million people, 23.6 million are mobile phone subscribers and 17 million use the internet.

The government blocked access to Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp during the last general election in 2016.

This move is used by other entrenched rulers in Africa in response to grassroots movements against them.

Among East Africa governments moving to regulate internet use, Tanzania introduced a law last month.

The law requires any citizen operating a blog or website to pay an annual licence fee of 1 million Tanzanian shillings (440 dollars). ($1 = 3,690 Ugandan shillings, 2,261 Tanzanian shillings)

African Eye Report

 

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