UCC to meet telecoms over the social media tax

Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to meet with the Ministry of Finance, Uganda Revenue Authority and telecom companies to evaluate the progress of social media tax two weeks from today.

This comes against the heels of implementation of the highly contentious law that has seen many subscribers agitated, with some sections of the public threatening to take the government to court.

In the budget for the financial year 2018/2019, the government of Uganda announced that it would charge those using over the top services or sites that offer voice and messaging over the internet, Shs200 daily.

In his letter directing the Uganda Revenue Authority and Ministry of Finance to tax social media, President Museveni argued that most Ugandans using social media are rumour mongers. He, however, promised to exempt those using it for educational purposes. But critics question how he will determine those using it for educational purposes.

The government also mandated the telecom companies to charge 1% tax on the transaction value of the services on the mobile money.