Some concerned citizens and a tech company have submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court of Uganda to order for an annulment of the new social media tax introduced on the 1st of July.
The social media tax took effect on Sunday, forcing citizens to resort to Virtual Private Network (VPN), over the conventional internet.
The petitioners led by Mr. Daniel Opio filed a lawsuit against the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) for unfairly giving an enabling environment for Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to collect the tax. They also asked the Attorney General of the Federation to explain why government does not offer free internet services to its citizens.
The group claims the tax is aimed at hindering freedom of speech, economic growth, and innovation and will have a negative impact on online media. The petitioners also contend that if the new tax is not annulled, it will curtail business start-ups and affect job seekers thereby infringing on the economic rights of citizens.
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