Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
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Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#2The most interesting quote is about the history behind the tax:
"President Yoweri Museveni reportedly wrote a letter complaining to the finance minster about online gossip and suggesting a tax be introduced to “cope with consequences.”"
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#3Although implementation may be ugly and/ or shocking - the concept in itself has interesting roots.
Although social media in itself is vital - we are seeing more usage of it correlates with negative behavior pattern (as is excessive tv watching).
Should govt intervene?
They do intervene for substance addiction...
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#4Although implementation may be ugly and/ or shocking - the concept in itself has interesting roots. Although social media in itself is vital - we are seeing more usage of it correlates with negative behavior pattern (as is excessive tv watching). Should govt intervene? They do intervene for substance addiction...
Government intervention and regulation of substance use has always been motivated by a much deeper agenda, generally economic in one way or another. The idea of taxing speech makes me uneasy.
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#5Although implementation may be ugly and/ or shocking - the concept in itself has interesting roots. Although social media in itself is vital - we are seeing more usage of it correlates with negative behavior pattern (as is excessive tv watching). Should govt intervene? They do intervene for substance addiction...
If you watched people spending time with their friends, you could probably see the same patterns. Most human behavior is not productive. It's been that way for a long time.
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#6So the government decided that it was a good idea to tax OTT services, defined as:
The transmission or receipt of voice messages over the internet protocol network and includes access to virtual private networks but does not include educational or research sites prescribed by the Minister by notice in the gazette.
Quite a nonsensical definition really. Might as well tax internet access (which you already do).
On top of that, the only way to pay this tax is via mobile money, which is taxed 1% at point of deposit, 1% at point of transaction and 1% at point of withdrawal. You’re being taxed to pay tax.
And when you do pay the 200 shilling tax (which is actually 202 shillings), they only activate your social media access until 11.59pm today. Regardless of when you paid. So, if you pay the tax at 11.30pm today, you’ve got only 30 minutes of use.
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#7Although implementation may be ugly and/ or shocking - the concept in itself has interesting roots. Although social media in itself is vital - we are seeing more usage of it correlates with negative behavior pattern (as is excessive tv watching). Should govt intervene? They do intervene for substance addiction...
If you watched people spending time with their friends, you could probably see the same patterns. Most human behavior is not productive. It's been that way for a long time.
People spending time with their friends is not productive?
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#8[deleted]
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#9If all governments do that, it will instantly raise humanity’s iq and eq up a notch and help govt get money too.
Re: Uproar as Uganda telecom companies implement mobile money, social media taxes
#10If all governments do that, it will instantly raise humanity’s iq and eq up a notch and help govt get money too.
Social media has destroyed humanity. Turned everyone into attention deficit zombies.