Tax on Social Media, people in worry

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Tue, Jul 03, 2018, 08:16 PM

Tax on Social Media, people in worry

Uganda, Jul 03: In a shocking news, A new revenue tax on social media has taken effect in Uganda, angering many who see the measure as an attack on free speech.

The tax on users of sites such as Facebook was first proposed by longtime leader Yoweri Museveni, who complained of online gossip in a March letter that urged the finance minister to raise money "to cope with the consequences."

In addition to the usual data fees, social media users now must pay upfront a daily levy of six cents to access all social media websites.

Service providers, including regional telecommunications giant MTN, said in a joint statement Sunday that starting July 1, the levy would be charged on "Over The Top services," including access to websites such as Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. The tax will be deducted by service providers that will then pay to the government revenue service.

Many Ugandans are "bitter" because the tax "was brought in bad faith," said Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, a prominent human rights lawyer.

"The reasons for it were anti-people, were anti-social, not development-oriented," he said Monday.

Amnesty International urged Ugandan authorities to scrap the tax, calling it "a clear attempt to undermine the right to freedom of expression" in the East African country.

"By making people pay for using these platforms, this tax will render these avenues of communication inaccessible for low-income earners, robbing many people of their right to freedom of expression, with a chilling effect on other human rights," the group's Joan Nyanyuki said in a statement Monday.

From the social media levy, the government hopes to collect about $136 million in the current financial year. About 17 million of Uganda's 41 million people are active internet users, according to government figures.

This is not the first time Uganda's government has taken actions widely seen as curbing social media use in the country.

In February 2016, as Ugandans voted in a tight presidential election, officials blocked access to Facebook and Twitter, citing unspecified security threats. That poll, won by Museveni, was marred by allegations of fraud and late delivery of voting materials in some opposition strongholds.