Good morning my dears! Today is again another great and sunny day, so I want to immerse myself in the prevailing battle of the Ugandan social media tax. The great outcry of most Ugandan's.
[image source](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-ab&biw=746&bih=546&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=o6E8W43ZIYm5kwX77a3oBA&q=social+media+tax&oq=social+media+tax&gs_l=img.3...356441.360541.0.360850.16.12.0.2.2.0.499.1208.2-1j0j2.3.0....0...1c.1.64.img..11.5.1217...0j0i67k1.0.q7ggwtPTDkA#imgrc=U8wfjPE9Aju-RM:)
The implementation of the social media tax has become a great debate today as many people are worried and petrified about the future if taxes are implemented on such platforms. The act to implement taxes on both mobile money (the most efficient way to withdraw money in Uganda) and social media such as facebook was debated on by the eligible members of parliament through voice voting.
Only *28* legislators that had insights on the matter opposed the matter on the 30<sup>th</sup> of May this year while only *10* supported it. The rest of the legislators literally remained silent and it is still unclear why this was so, but we guess it was also a shock to them.
The legislators in complete trauma were asked by the deputy speaker of parliament *Jacob Oulanya* to decide on what to tax or *not* to tax.
#### Jacob Oulanya deputy speaker of the Uganda parliament
The legislators, with a view of the various taxable alternatives to the government in power such as agriculture sector, industry, mining, put the matter to table in order to save the lives of the poor who will be affected by the current taxes implemented on *mobile money* and social *media.*
This should not have been the case but the uproar brought about by the people of Uganda all over the country caused to this. Some *Mp's* such as Aruu MP Odong Otto was in proposition that the social media taxes should be increased from a fee of *Ugx 200* to *Ugx 500* and the mobile money taxes to be reduced as most people in rural areas, towns and the city use mobile money services as it is the most effective and efficient.
#### A traditional mobile money tab in Uganda.
[image source](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-ab&biw=746&bih=546&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=jaw8W4S5K870kgXG9InACw&q=mobile+money&oq=mobile+money&gs_l=img.3..0l10.934477.937844.0.938177.12.10.0.0.0.0.477.1640.2-1j0j3.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..8.4.1637...0i67k1.0.3On7BzWj3Vc#imgdii=2eaFvnmmW1d_qM:&imgrc=P16UobYtmsuGGM:)
#### Here is a customer accessing mobile money services in Uganda.
[image source](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-ab&biw=746&bih=546&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=jaw8W4S5K870kgXG9InACw&q=mobile+money&oq=mobile+money&gs_l=img.3..0l10.934477.937844.0.938177.12.10.0.0.0.0.477.1640.2-1j0j3.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..8.4.1637...0i67k1.0.3On7BzWj3Vc#imgdii=bM74iis57fRTiM:&imgrc=P16UobYtmsuGGM:)
<h4>Those against the implementation.</h4>
Some Members of parliament were not in favor of this implementation. *Why???* because, this money is not migrating from the traditional payment systems as seen in Uganda for example the banks because there is already a fee being paid for that. (*Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE)*) This new system that has been introduced literally charges *1%* as one deposits money to be sent and again another *1%* during withdraw making it a double payment!!
<h4>1. Kumi woman MP, Monica Amoding was also against.</h4>
Kumi district is a district in the Northern part of Uganda that has been in a less developed area for sometime now since and before its initiation. Her argument was that these taxes are literally going to affect the poor of the poorest thus reducing on the total finacial inclusion which the country is seeking with this initiation.
<h4>2. Kassanda North MP, Patrick Nsamba.</h4>
Kassanda's argument was that the parliament of Uganda should not be moved by the desire to implement these taxes simply because they want to expand Uganda's tax base without clear knowledge on which part of the population they were touching???, *NO.*
I think he was right. Uganda's standards of living have been increasing day by day and this has been caused by a number of factors. You can read my previous post for more knowledge about this. Click [here](https://steemit.com/uganda/@kiddady/this-is-going-too-deep-or-the-free-fall-in-the-value-of-the-ugandan-shilling).
<h4>3. Katikamu North MP, Abraham Byandala had this to say in favour.</h4>
[image source](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-ab&biw=1366&bih=631&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=vrM8W7_GBdCxkwX_rp3ACw&q=Katikamu+North+MP%2C+Abraham+Byandala&oq=Katikamu+North+MP%2C+Abraham+Byandala&gs_l=img.3...516064.517168.0.517916.1.1.0.0.0.0.214.214.2-1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.0.0....0.a0EsoApTkNc#imgrc=An2YhdwUWVsetM:)
We all know that every service to operate, it needs money, *Yes.* But Abraham Byandala knows that the government of Uganda has no money minting machine and it literally generates taxes through imposing taxes. "If people do not pay taxes, they are reducing on the services to be provided to them." He said that if people wanted an increase and improvement in the services provided, they had to pay taxes and to do this everybody had to be involved in the payment of taxes thus the implementation of the *social media* and *mobile money taxes.*
We hope this implementation to favour everybody in the country especially Ugandans.
Thanks for reading