The Zambian government is to introduce a tax on internet phone calls in a bid to protect jobs in the telecommunications sector.
The 30 ngwee ($0.03; £0.02) daily tariff will be charged through mobile phone operators and internet providers, government spokesperson Dora Siliya said after a Monday cabinet meeting.
She said the increase in online phone calls was coming at the expense of traditional providers such as Airtel, Zamtel and MTN.
That research indicted that 80% of Zambian citizens were using Whatsapp, Skype and Viber to make calls, she added.
The tax comes weeks after Uganda implemented a social media tax to boost government revenue and to end “gossip” on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.
It is not yet clear when the tax will come into effect.
Source : bbc
