Uganda’s parliament is trying a new out-of-the-box way to tackle the country’s growing national debt. According to BBC, there will be a new social media tax on internet messaging platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and Twitter.
The bill was approved on Wednesday and will kick into effect on July 1st. It will charge 200 shillings (the equivalent of about $0.05) a day for logging on.
Sources say there are Ugandans who agree and disagree with the new tax. While some critics say there shouldn’t be an internet tax because it’s used for educational, research or reference purposes, President Yoweri Museveni is all for it. He once argued that social media is only used to encourage gossip.
This bill also creates a 1 percent tax on all mobile money transactions in the country. Thoughts, Roommates?
