Licence fees to curb ‘decadent’ bloggers

Tanzania has finally signed into law a new regulation that will govern social media and blogging. The Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations 2017, was initially published by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority. A report on The Next Web site notes that it provides for a licence fee to be charged to Tanzanians operating online radio stations and video websites. Bloggers are also required to apply for a licence to blog from the TCRA and they will be required to pay a licence fee as well as annual fees. The government said the move will help to put a stop to the ‘moral decadence’ caused by social media and the Internet in the country.

And neighbouring Uganda plans to impose a daily tax on social media users from July in a bid to raise revenue, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija has confirmed. The move has been criticised by rights activist Rosebell Kagumire who said it is part of a wider attempt to curtail freedom of expression. BBC News reports that President Yoweri Museveni was quoted as telling Kasaija that a tax should be introduced on people who use social media for ‘gossip’. ‘I am not going to propose a tax on internet use for educational, research or reference purposes… these must remain free,’ he reportedly said. The proposed tax will see each mobile phone subscriber who uses platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter being charged.