Transport and Communications Minister Brain Mushimba has disclosed that 22 million United States dollars will be realized per year from the 30 ngwee charge on internet calls, and this will be ploughed back to telecom companies and government for infrastructure development.
At the media briefing today, Mr Mushimba emphasized that the owners of applications such as whatsapp and facebook are benefiting more from the internet calls unlike government and its citizens.
Mr Mushimba noted that the decision was arrived at following the concerns from telecom companies and a quick realization by government that there is huge revenue loss that comes with internet calls.
Mr. Mushimba further said government will engage whatsapp and facebook owners at the African Union, on order to engage them in how best the proceeds from Internet calls can be shared accordingly with government.
Mr Mushimba clarified that the 30 ngwee that will be attached to the fee that mobile users who use internet calls, will be charged once per day regardless of the number of calls made.
And Mr Mushimba has said that Government remains committed to amend the Information Communication Technologies Act (ICT ) act number 21 of 2009, in order to keep the country abreast with the current technological trends, adding that the cyber security and cyber-crime bill that was approved by cabinet yesterday is a step in the right direction in updating the 2009 act.
Mr Mushimba clarified that the 30 ngwee that will be attached to the fee that mobile users who use internet calls, will be charged once per day regardless of the number of calls made.
Mr Mushimba told a media briefing in Lusaka today that once the bills are ratified by parliament, it will protect people’s data and prevent network crimes.
Mr. Mushimba cited medical data, bank details and personal information as among the particulars that need protection from cyber-crimes owing to evolving technologies.
“We will continue to amend the ICT act number 21 of 2009 so that it marches with the changes in technologies. Yesterday Cabinet approved the cyber security and crime bills which will see full protection of people’s data,” he said.
And then we thought Mwanawasa and Sata were Cabbage and dictator. Wait until this gov runs out of money and they start slapping another 34 ngwee in taxes for the citizen to engage in the so called matrimonial home.
Why are you trying to bailout private companies?
If they have noticed people are using Internet calls isn’t this a case of being the victim of their own sucess .
These companies must themselves come up with proper strategies.
Can you imagine the same companies made billions from poor zambians who had little choice from these exploitative companies!
30ngwee will be for GX Landcruiser for Dora Slit, Brian Mushimba , Bowman Lusambo, Jean Kapata and Kampyongo Kapoli
There you have it people.
This is the rubbish you voted for.
Enjoy.
The Pf lied that money realized from removal of fuel subsidies would help social spending but nothing Like that has happened instead more money is going towards debt service and interest payments. This is just introducing taxes by fraudulently mispresentation of facts. We have been duped for too long.
“A nation trying to tax itself into prosperity is like a f00lish man standing in a bucket & trying to lift himself by the handle” Winston Churchill
First make the nation prosperous, then u can introduce high taxes, thats how USA did it.
This is the most fraudulent tax scum ever. When you buy talk time or data you pay to the telecom companies as well as sales tax and vat. Now this Government wants to tax us for using what we bought and paid tax for? That’s why we are saying this is fraud. When a government stops representing its electorate, it at that point loses its legitimacy as representative of the people.
Why talk in terms of dollars when we have our own currency? Whose job is it to defend our own currency? And we think we are better than Zimbabwe if we cannot think in term of our own currency! My foot, some patriotism! If this is how we will define it, who needs traitors?
If this government is not careful its going to spend more money trying to get the little 30p per internet call made because whatsapp and google and going to be forced to encript the data even further to avoid detection.
These are the kicks of a dying a horse for sure. No money for thieves to still any more because people will then stop making those internet calls.
Well, let’s just wait and see how this plays out.
Did they say how long it will take to collect this $22M? Zambia needs critical thinking journalists and opposition. Just think of K0.30 ratio to a dollar! ???? and how many calls to be made. I bet they don’t even know how they will tell when calls will be made since they are internet based. Tele companies already make money from line services since no one can make an internet call without phone service. That’s the problem when you have headless and heartless leaders. They have hit a solid wall. Uko!
And nobody asked him questions…
You do not have investigative journalists in Zambia. kikiki
Ladies and gentlemen, lets put a STOP to this tax nonsense. If it means protesting go on the streets, lets go.
PF Toilet economics=Stealing money from poor citizens to give to corporations.
– PF taxes innovative homeowners for sinking boreholes after councils have failed to put water piping
– PF00Lish govt taxes enterprising Landlords for building flats after govt has failed to provide affordable housing
– PF00Lish govt put toll gates on roads after deducting fuel levy for road maintenance
Next they’ll tax pedestrians for putting Juldan, CR out of business or solar panel owners for “stealing business” from zesco.
PLEASE GO AHEAD WE NEED TO PAY BACK EUROBOND ALSO FROM THE SAME TAX, 30NGWEE IS TOO LITTLE MAKE ONE KWACHA , WE CANT SEBANA NA NKHONGOLE ITS OUR COUNTRY ZAMBIA LETS ALL CONTRIBUTE AND MAKE INTERNET CALLS EVERYDAY TO GIRLFRIENDS CONCUBINES ETC
You are a beneficiery of the nkongole pay it back yourselves because we have nothing to show where this nkongole was spend.
Anyoko: a typical mentality of a carder. No thinking, no reasoning. Just because you support PF doesn’t mean that you pack your head. Listen to other bloggers; they are thinking, but you? NO
Mwalimbikila nakulimbikila. You copied Uganda. What have you been doing with profits from the telephone services all these years to tell us that you will be collecting this money for infrastructure now?
You are a disgrace!
Misappropriating as funds as usual as ..where money has been spent they used a loan to procure cheap overpriced transmitter!
..from China.
Your argument is flawed. Our grandparents we have left in villages are now able to call on daily basis and update us on daily happenings. Distance isn’t a limiting factor anymore. You can send money at a click of button, all that is infrastructure investment facilitated by govt.
This does not make sense, so you punish the consumer for money that Facebook and others rather than engaging them or taxing them for the profits you think they make out of Zambia? Probably most of the money they make is not even out of small bleeding economies such as Zambia.
Dont worry only non-PF callers will be affected.
Well said , PF just keep dancing , it is the UPND who will be paying that 30 ngwee
Dont worry Miles will provide free Wifi so why worry about internet calls!
We have seen an increase in
– road tax
– PAYE
– removal of subsidies
– introduction of toll fees
– borehole Levy
– increased customs duty of motor vehicles
All meant for support government yet we are still introducing more taxes
–
The people are the ones looking after government instead of the government looking after its people.
Brian has run out of ideas. Pathetic thinking
Look at you..you look like you have soiled your pants and hiding behind a waist high bar counter.
But he is your minister you support everyday…what innovative ideas or policies has he ever created for him to run out? Mind you this policy was approved by the full cabinet …meaning the President and all is ministers are the people you are accusing of that selfsame pathetic thinking you allude to. Let that sink in your bonehead.
Are you going to blame your silly opposition or just throw insults in my direction as you are very good at that. You are going to dance like there is no tomorrow…just wait more is to come as this govt is looking for ways to raise money from your stupidity.
Don’t worry Mr kudos , only UPND will be paying….
Gay Jay i blog objectively that’s why I can criticize Brian.
You on the other hand moth fcuker are an Idlot with idle hands to jerk yourself off in front of a computer. You can’t criticize your small ‘god’ (HH) for fear he’ll send you to heII.
Only yesterday you were ‘trying’ to comment on Football, the other day ‘International Refugee Law’ what a clown You are lying old ding bat.
Your thinking is like Mukuni’s diapers block your nose so your brain is dead.
By the way only Mukuni soiled his pants in Zambian history when he took a bungee jump and pooped his pants.
Iwe kunda aka kudos why are u ignoring me since i found out who you are. Just use your real name ba kunda
So Brian woke up and proposed this tabled it in cabinet and all tins approved what does that say? Like i stated all you have are insults if that fails link someone to your silly HH.
Bwana Mushimba, people COULD NOT HAVE PROTESTED OR ARGUED HAD YOU BEEN TRANSPARENT WITH THE USE OF OUR PUBLIC RESOURCES!! Here is just an example of why PEOPLE FEEL CHEATED AND ARE PROTESTING THIS TAX: You collect ROAD TOLL FEES , but the MAIN ROAD bring traffic to one of the MAJOR TOLL GATES CANNOT BE REPAIRED, you have to source a loan from from AfDB to do that! You have money budgeted for contingency but when cholera struck you rushed to toll fee revenues and used the money on cholera without telling the public how you will replace so that toll fees are used for intended purposes!! What guarantee is there that the same money you are talking about will not be misused in the same way!!
“Mr Mushimba clarified that the 30 ngwee that will be attached to the fee that mobile users who use internet calls, will be charged once per day regardless of the number of calls made.”
Really laughable …when we tell you that Brian is an empty tin you think its an insult…from this statement you can see how even Network providers will make a killing from this as you can not dispute this with them when overcharged. Are you going to go to whatsApp? Network providers will add an admin fee.
Moreover when he this govt ever pumped funds into anything without a loan even Toll fees have been misappropriated towards things like cholera.
Zambians continue sleeping in your docility …I told you PF can continue to pass such silly laws as they have numbers to back their folly in parliament…
their folly in parliament and ministers get free talktime and bundles.
Obviously it won’t be happy! Has it even been happy at anything government did. I mean Hatribes United.
Why should people incur 30 ngwee a day for the poor and myopic decision made by Late Micheal Sata to repossess Zamtel from Lap Green? Lap Green would have mode?nised Zamtel and made it resilient. If Telecom companies in zambia (Zamtel included) are failing to innovate let them close business and relocate elsewhere.
Dont believe these lazy ministers..Telecomms is innovative by default …in fact it is the driver for innovation just look around you!!
My dear if you have traveled extensively, you will be left with one conclusion that Zambia’s mobile infrastructure is far better than most African countries, we are many notches above the many countries. One reason could be that Zambia was among the innovators in mobile fons and internet at the turn of a century.
Zambia people => Ndwii
Zambia is not Kenya…Zambians are peace-loving timid docile foooooooooooooooooooools!!
Now my friends in the silly cadres will think twice about making or receiving a call from me as you will be charged anyway and flat out as your ministers just looked at subscribers with smartphones and multiplied it. Its not like you receive itemized billing for your pay as go SIM cards every month so even your grandmas on Nokias will also be charged.
Debts going up and economic growth heading southwards since 2011= PF legacy.
Jay Jay don’t give your precious Ngwees to these profligate reckless PF managers.
Insoni ebuntu!
They know only money will put them in good stead to win in 2021,the strategy is to tax the masses as much as possible the relax them a bit towards 2021 then use the money raised for electrol malpractices such as vote buying ,bribeing of oposition hungry grassroot members and lowlifes.
If the raised fund where a deliberate policy to create a pool of resources for small and medium scale business so the sector can grow by having access to fund at a lower intrest rate of 19% or lower and not to subsidise ruthless multinationals ,it would have been better.
Zambians fasten your seat belts we all have one life live.
Nichinama walyefibi . this is eating using both hands . PF less tax, more jobs , cheap miliemeal , more money in every Zambian pocket , Docility of us Zambians, shall shallow us . how do you tax innocent poor Zambians three times from the same commodity sold. look at ministers , they get free talktime worth 5000 kwacha, do you really think this people could care for the poor? their children access free education. Free fuel, free electricity , free water, free znbc, free money from AVIC and other Chinese Nationals. and worse riding on poor hungry Zambian . poor man’s child shall remain uneducated for ever.
Amano yaapwa!
This is a very unpopular tax measure, and Mushimba is the one responsible for it’s introduction!
But it was approved by all empty tins in cabinet including Lazy so you can not blame one tin surely!!
we were voted into office on the promise of lower Taxes , but this Minister pliz
If you have run out of ideas on how to raise revenue the right way then please resign and let others with better ideas take over.
Zoona, Zambians are gullible! First it was more money in your pockets , you swallowed the beit. Then it was free internet for Lusaka, now you’re paying more for the same internet. Let me guess ….. next it will be free fuel and mealie meal only to pay twice as much. Anyway, I wish you the best. Enjoy, it’s your choice….
Having small brains whilst occupying high offices is not only a shame ,but diabolical.After seeing what these PF leeches in government are doing,one can now understand why God instructed Noah to only allow animals into the ark and not humans.
Ma scandle yoka yoka!
This is lunacy at best! Is the internet free in Zambia? …and who provides this same Internet? Why upuba so MuZambia? Internet provider and telecom providers, are they not the same people? Yaba!
Good move by Government, the country stands to suffer more from loss of employment from these companies locally to a virtual provider. This course of action is currently being adopted even by developed nations. They should also charge for more than 4 texts a day @ 50 ngwee per next successive 4 texts.
Very loud voice of 1mbecility has spoken.
Name only ONE developed nation which has Excise Duty, VAT and social media duty on data bundles?
You are just arse licking parasite
iwe voice of unreason yes you do not think why should individuals per instedy of the providers? why should people pay for useless fire tenders in their trousers. if you are Pofu hang yourself
These are what the West have called “Oppressive Taxes”!
Our tax rates can’t enable us to build capital to develop!
This is the problem in Africa!
lusaka times you are a bunch of pf cadres. Why arent you reporting on the unfortunate bridge collapse in genoa, Italy!? I was there and drove past that particular bridge just last week. I was in europe on working holiday. ala am so shocked and scared. This life can be taken just like that. PF needs to take lesson from this. They are busy building mediocre infrastructure in zambia using kaloba. I have a feeling a bridge in zambia will soon collapse. In zambia under pf there is no maintenance for infrastructure. they just build to hoodwink dull voters.
If voice calls are expensive why not just reduce tax to make them cheaper……Brian, ulesebanya Mpelembe!!
Good question mark. May i add what is the fate of Vodafone who have gone for data and not voice? They never applied for a license because they new that data is the way to go.
Tough times ahead guys….Brace yourselves.
What has continued to finish us is ‘short-sightedness’. Always looking for. quick fixes. Anyone familiar with ‘poll and hut’ taxes introduced during colonial days? BR MUMBA where are you?
Brian please! Don’t embarass us with that reasoning.How do you people sleep at night after over taxing the poor people of Zambia.We all know in whose pockets tax payers monies go into.Telecommunication companies are capable of coming up with their own innovative ideas to generate money.Why squeeze the little money out of our poor people to build infrastructure that will not uplift their living standards. If you said the 22million was for free education maybe we would have given you a benefit of doubt.TAXES KILL INNOVATION IN AFRICA
Our government is embarrassingly broke and yet they are reluctant to admit it. Actions speak louder that words. The only money remaining in the coffers is for PF induced bye- elections and presidential trips. By the way even some chaps engaged in elections have not been paid.
I glad that the people that were defending PF during the 2016 General Election campaigns are now falling into my line with shame. The wise avoid the problem or learn from others, the intelligent learn the hard way and the fools never learn.
The reason we make WhatsApp calls is because they are encrypted, not even Shushushu can eavesdrop. So whatever the cost we will continue making those calls. The fear of losing power by politicians has damaged our beautiful country, we don’t have any privacy at all. Govt now spends colossal sums of money trying to monitor lives of its citizens. It’s sickening! You can’t even pass an innocent joke else it misconstrued as demeaning the great leader. Yaba
This is what happens when you let hyenas run a butchery. They devour everything and eventually themselves. It’s time to vote them out.
Basic economics= when your govt debts go up to unhealthy levels GRZ goes into greedy and hunger mode.Ask the Greeks,Italians and Argentinians they’ve had similar lessons.
What is the fate of Vodafone who have for for data and not voice? They also employ young Zambians.
This minister is a thief period.he wanted zambia airways now he wants whats up tariffs seeing that zambia airways may fail.wait until the owners ban whats n facebook in zambia.very usel__less minister I have ever seen.if ba lungu is not careful this minister will land da president in hot soup.he is too corrupt as if even he never even grew up in Usa.fire this mushimba before he destroys u name ba lungu.this is going to destroy our party
Looks like Mushimba was DIRECTED.
Anyway, 2021 is round the corner, we shall see who is king!!
Sorry Lazy Jay jay, I am not suggesting that your tribal h.h will resurrect, he is dead forever. We shall get another political force soon.
Good, you were doing dunnuna and sontaring with them while they were breaking it , you fix it……
LT …where is the news about ..
RTSA to introduce RFID system, reregister all Zambian vehicles……
And yes you guessed right , more payments…
Yaba, what level of education is this Minister… Ndiye benze Ku kopela kusikulu aba
PF supporters, this is how dull your government perceive you to be, abena BR Mumba and them zoona
I think this is “good” for Zambians. We diasporans have tried to wake up these people but ifitala ifina Zambia. Let them suffer. Let them learn a lesson. I am sure I won’t pay that tax. They should be charged even to smile on WhatsApp another 10 ngwee. In fact to make more money for PF let them charge that 30 ngwee per day to everyone who has a cell phone even if they don’t use WhatsApp. That’s what ukutumpa does. Hope you learn a lesson. Zambians, outsmarted by PF. More money out of your pockets. Hahahahaha. Ni Thriller.
I have never heard such a ridiculous decision where government make citizens indebted to corporates to keep them afloat. What will stop other companies from demanding the same? You’re opening the pandoras box which will never be closed. Please think before you make reckless decisions. If companies can’t compete, it’s their problem.
When Trump calls Africa a s.h.i.t hole you calls him names. How else do you define it?
You people what weed do you guys smoke? WhatsApp and Facebook owners don’t charge us for their services but why should you? What ideas have you contributed in creating those apps?
Are they yours for you to be charging us? If ask me… Lemme give you something to think about.
Why can’t you come up with something like what you did with the top star which Im very posistive you are benefitting from it..yeah come up with the idea of creating your own apps then add tax charges then people – us will be glad to be charged using that particular service not kuyamba kutibela pali vintu vabene create your own