Mtn uganda mobile money charges

KAMPALA: Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has defended the country's new social media tax, saying Ugandans were using such platforms for "lying", and squandering the nation's hard currency on fees to foreign-owned telecoms firms.In May Uganda's parliament passed new tax laws that introduced a levy of 200 shillings (US$0.05) per day for access to a range of online services.The platforms that have been identified by the country's revenue service for the tax include Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, YouTube, Skype, Yahoo Messenger and many others.The tax, collected by mobile phone internet service providers since July 1, is equivalent to about 20 percent of what typical Ugandan users pay for their mobile phone data plans.In a statement on Twitter, Museveni described social media as a "luxury by those who are enjoying themselves or those who are malicious...all the moral reasons are in favour of that tax."Ugandan social media users, he said, were "endlessly donating money to … [Read more...] about Uganda leader says social media used for ‘lying’, defends tax for access

KAMPALA: Uganda has imposed a levy on social media access which it says will fund public services but has been widely resisted as oppressive and aimed at curbing government criticism.Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, Skype, Google Hangouts, yahoo Messenger are among the many brands accessed via telecoms networks covered by the 1.51 Pound(US$0.0517) per user per day tax to access over the top (OTT) services.Deputy government spokesman Shaban Bantariza told Reuters that the new levy took effect at midnight on Saturday and said the levy was an appropriate source of much needed revenue.Uganda has about 23.6 million mobile phone subscribers, 17 million of whom use the internet, the state-run Uganda Communications Commission says.Biting government criticism on Facebook has in the past attracted the ire of officials and some critics have been charged over such posts.Amnesty International called on Uganda to scap the tax, saying it robbed "many people of their right to freedom of … [Read more...] about Uganda levies unpopular social media tax, criticised by Amnesty