Uganda Laws: Uganda Parliament Passes Tax Law On social media Platform Users to Kick Against "Fake Information"

Uganda Parliament Passes tax law on social media Platform users to kick against "Fake Information"

Uganda’s parliament has passed a law to tax those who use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Viber, and WhatsApp. The controversial tax was firstly introduced in April 2018 after the country’s president, Yoweri Museveni, wrote a letter to the treasury stating that social media encouraged Fake Information that has cost Uganda time and income.

The tax will come into effect on June 1st 2018, imposing a 200 shilling ($0.05) levy per day on those who use social media platforms, but how the it enforcement would take place was not actually revealed. About 18 million people, or 38 percent of Uganda’s total population, use the internet, and there doesn’t seem to be a definitive law on monitoring how and when social media sites are visited. According to  sources, at least one ISP has doubts about the law’s enforcement.

Uganda’s finance minister, Matia Kasaija, justified the law to Reuters in April, said,

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

Those who are in opposition to the law say it infringes on freedom of expression and is a way for Museveni to stifle opposition to his presidency. In 2016, visit to social media platforms was shut down in Uganda during presidential elections. At the time, Museveni said the decision was made to “stop spreading fake information" majorly about our upcoming election.”