New tax for using social media takes effect in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda, July 2 (AP): A new tax on social media has taken effect in Uganda, angering many who see the revenue measure as an attack on free speech.

A tax on users of sites such as Facebook was first proposed by long-time leader Yoweri Museveni.

He complained of online gossip in a March letter that urged the finance minister to raise money "to cope with the consequences".

In addition to the usual data fees, social media users now must pay upfront a daily levy of Shs200 (5.0 cents) to access everything from WhatsApp to Twitter.