Why Uganda taxes the "gossip" of social media

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AFP

Ugandans took on Twitter to complain about the imposition of a tax of 200 Ugandan shilling [$0.05, £0.04] on the use of social media.

Some also used virtual private networks (VPNs) to pay.

Parliament approved the tax in May after President Yoweri Museveni pushed for the changes, arguing that social media encouraged gossip.

But some argue that it is a way of restricting critical comments about the government.

President Museveni talked about people using social media to spread gossip that he described as "opinions, prejudices, insults [and] friendly conversations".

In a letter to the Minister of Finance in March, Mr. Museveni He added that he did not support an Internet tax in general, as this would affect its use for "educational, research or reference purposes ". [1 9659007] Ugandan ICT Minister Frank Tumwebaze also defended the tax, claiming that the money raised will be used to "invest in more broadband infrastructure" .

President Museveni says that there will be no tax on internet data as they are useful for education

What was the reaction?

Many say the tax is politically useful because social media is often used for critical commentary on the government, reports Catherine Byaruhanga of the BBC in the capital, Kampala.

complaining that their freedom of speech is restricted.

The government has a form in this area. In February 2016, during the presidential and legislative elections, she cut access to social media for security reasons. But critics argued that this limited the ability to monitor the vote.

Ugandan rights activist Juliet Nanfuka fears the government's decision may be copied elsewhere. "When a country does one thing, other countries follow suit," she says.

Can Ugandans afford it?

Two hundred Ugandan shillings may not seem like much, but activists say it's a big part of the poor.

Mobile social media packages, which cost 500 or 1,000 shillings, have become increasingly popular, so that the new tax can account for up to 40% of that cost.

As a result, some companies are withdrawing these offers, according to Ms. Nanfuka.

How do you pay?

The tax targets the use of what is described as Over The Top (OTT) services, which include Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter.

These are services that offer "voice and Internet messaging," according to a statement by telecommunications companies

Users are encouraged to make an electronic payment before they can access the sites. to avoid the tax?

Some Ugandans use a VPN connection, which gives the impression that you are accessing the internet from another country, where the tax is not taxed.

But this could cost more expensive BestVPN, which advises people on the services to use, reported a 966% increase in traffic to its website from Uganda the day the tax was introduced.