Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Uganda Levies Social Media Tax to Prevent Gossip

posted by mrpg on Sunday June 03 2018, @10:15AM   Printer-friendly
from the let's-gossip dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Ugandu has reached rock bottom and yet has started to dig even deeper with the recent announcement that a daily fee of 200 shillings will be levied to use social media. This is not the first time a country has attempted to have ISPs charge a separate fee for social network access.

Today, Uganda's parliament passed a controversial "social media tax." It will consist of a daily fee of about 200 shillings (5 US cents) levied on anyone who uses social networking and messaging apps and platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter. According to Trading Economics, in 2016, Uganda had a per-capita income of $666.10, so this isn't an insubstantial tax.

President Yoweri Museveni was a vocal supporter of and advocate the bill. He believes that social media encourages "gossip," according to BBC News. The law will go into effect as of July 1st, but it's not clear how the government will monitor its citizens or collect the tax.

Also at the BBC

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Uganda Levies Social Media Tax to Prevent Gossip | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 38 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by khallow on Sunday June 03 2018, @12:29PM (3 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 03 2018, @12:29PM (#687993) Journal
    Even if we were to take the President's assertions at face value, we still have the problem that gossip has positive net social value. Sure, it can be used to spread untruths and wild rumors. But it can also spread knowledge about people we care about. And it's one of the primary ways we have of keeping track of what's happening outside our narrow slice of the world.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +3  
       Insightful=3, Total=3
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Total Score:   4  

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 03 2018, @01:07PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 03 2018, @01:07PM (#687998)

    Our perfect government disagrees with you. Die.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 03 2018, @02:12PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 03 2018, @02:12PM (#688018)

      Our perfect government disagrees with you. Die. Pay or else

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @04:01AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @04:01AM (#688215)

        My bad. I was thinking of Iran.