Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Tax on Internet calls will save local jobs-Dora Siliya

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Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya

Chief Government Spokesman Dora Siliya has defended Cabinet’s decision to introduce a tariff on internet calls saying the decision was taken in order to save local jobs.

In a series of Tweets, Ms Siliya said local jobs in the telecoms industry are threatened by the migration towards internet calls.

This was after several Zambians took to social media to denounce the new tax to be imposed by the PF Government.

“Jobs such as call centre workers, talk time sellers, conventional call technicians will reduce drastically if more Zambians migrate to internet calls and create jobs in America and elsewhere. Let’s keep our jobs. Zambians need them,” Ms. Siliya posted.

She explained that the tariff will be effected once an internet call only is detected and is a one off payment per day whatever number of calls made on that day.

““What we have seen over the past few years is a migration of voice calls…people moving to VOIP,people making calls over WhatsApp and FB what that has done is created several paradigm shifts and as GRZ we need to think through many of these things” she said.

“What’s up and Facebook internet calls creating unfair competition as they don’t pay taxes in Zambia while conventional call providers pay tax and invest in infrastructure in Zambia. Zambian jobs first!”

She said Zambians should support government’s decision as it is in the best interest of the nation.

“What’s up, Facebook messages etc no tariff. 30 ngwee tariff on Internet calls to support infrastructure to improve and expand network and save jobs,” she said.

“Zamtel,Airtel & MTN invest in infrastructure. What’s up, Facebook don’t but getting richer. Zambian jobs first!”

95 COMMENTS

  1. Tax on internet use will buy fat Dora another GX Landcruiser . Edgar’s govt is a clueless, truly visionless one.

    • Iwe Dora since we are all stupid please start charging Email ( 50 ngwee ) to save the post office.

      What a joke of a country

    • I have a PhD so I believe my comment holds more credence than others who dont have one including you.

      Here is the thing. I believe her.

      I think she is making sense and people on here are not wanting to believe her because of who she is.

      She appears sane and has a good brain between her shoulders.

      I can see jobs being saved which is a good thing me thinks.

      Stopping throwing atbthis government and support them with your beings. SOBs

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • An institution that begins to believe it’s own lies must start considering it’s fitness for purpose. Does the Gabament of ze Lupablik of Jambia have permission to exact a tax from a technology they do not have licence to?? They are not even a telecoms company. Intellectual property rights violation right there.

      If they are scared of criticism and people having different views from their own, they should not be in the business of running a country because that kind of shirt goes with the territory. You jump in a swimming pool, you get wet. Social media is the vehicle of citizen journalism which is now the backbone of the democratic method of rule. Vodiga Rungu should just declare Zambia a one party state, shut down all social media and proceed to rape the country.

    • Is Zambia starting trade war with America?
      Zambia ‘s new sugar-dad Turkey is fighting with America over a Christian pastor jailed in Turkey. now Zambia is committing suicide for Turkey.
      Close that cabinet.

    • Dora you are telling lies through your teeth.

      You guys will divert these funds to your 2021 Election Campaigns. If you want to save jobs, best you restructure the company by looking and stop the bleeding of money that goes to waste.

      This is crime.!!!!!

    • Something does not add up here.

      The government’s reasoning does not make sense.

      Soon, automation will take over manual tasks. A lot of human workers will no longer be needed in many sectors. The government should be preparing for this, looking at creating sustainable employment, especially in agriculture and manufacturing. The government should look at how other countries have embraced Telecoms and VOIP. They should learn how create products from technology to create sustainable employment. They should learn to evolve with changing times.

      From this act alone, Zambians should prepare themselves for nonsensical taxes. I am afraid things will get a lot worse. Only rich foreigners will be be to afford comfortable living in Zambia.

      I can see teachers, nurses and doctors leaving…

    • I LIKE IT WHEN THE GOVERNMENT PUTS THE FOOT DOWN ON WHAT THEY THINK IS RIGHT – GRANDMA DOESN’T NEED VOIP CALL, MAJORITY ZAMBIANS DON’T MAKE INTERNET BASED CALLS. WE ARE TAXING THE RICH HERE. UNLESS YOU GO THE CHINA WAY, THE 30NGWEE TARIFF WON’T SAVE AIRTEL, MTN AND ZAMTEL.
      =======================================================
      30ngwee pay day is not cost prohibitive to smart phone,computer owner and smart people. Good tariff too because these smart people can afford. Statistics cited when the story broke are not true though; and so the estimated annual revenue from this bit is also not true.
      That said, lets face it, that move will not save the 3 concerned companies because that 30ngwee which is at the expense of affected citizens will not wipe out VOIP calls, believe me. So if it…

    • … it is one of the creative way of raising Government revenue, so be it but you should have made it K1 per day.
      Man, I remember when LPM introduced the K3 TV license. I was crazzzzzyyyyyy. I was like Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! damn you Mwanawasa, TV was supposed to be free. But now, its a normal thing. One crazy fellow would be thinking, why don’t you introduce Cell Phone License? So next please introduce a tax on oxygen inhaling. Like Mushota, I will support you. Rake that dollar! or Kwacha! The working Government.
      ECL 2021!!!

    • What are the legal implications? Does it mean GRZ will have to pay a certain percentage to Whatapp, as GRZ wil be gaining from a free application package they never designed or own?

    • This is the same person we read on our local tabloids ati ni cisusu. What positive contribution can come out of such a person?

  2. Dorah that’s like trying to save the old telegram or saving the bygone cassette tape industry . Technology always evolves cannibalizing old industries and people like Dorah in the process.

    • Mzambia wa Zamani
      The reason why Dora sounds stupid is because they have to say something to justify this nonsense,they need money.When we questioned their reckless expenditure the president himself spoke out and told us off,he said he would continue borrowing.The lesson here is that there is a price or consequence for everything.If you spend like there is no tomorrow,tomorrow will come whether you like it or not and you will look like Dora now looks.In fact i like this,she has now been sent to justify the unjustifiable,she has to this is her bread and butter.But citizens will find it difficult to believe her.A government that is reckless in it’s expenditure,where the president himself encourages citizens to loot mwibala,fails to answer to corruption allegations,that has Ministers that…

  3. Please include tax on emails also so that we save The Post Office jobs as well! This is the prophetic meaning of Dununa Reversi – going back to our roots – Stone Age mentality!

    • Yes, a tax will be imposed on emails for a flat fee of 5 ngwee a day only…the good thing is it will only be charged once regardless of how many email accounts you have or emails you receive in your inbox. This is very important for creating of employment in the Office of Registrar!!

  4. That gives the secret away. Its just a fundraising tax for the sovereign bond then. How does a one off 30ngwee per day discourage internet call users?
    In any case don’t we buy data bundles from the same mobile service providers with tax included? Do we buy bundles from WhatsApp? F..ool..s think they can foo..l us.

    “More money in your pockets, less tax”, said one economically incompetent Sata after failing to remove the more economically competent Rupiah Banda on sensible arguments.

    Tizaona mu 2021, when we present a credible opposition leader who will hammer them on economic performance, taxes, prices. And should I say corruption?

    I am not talking about that triba.l h.h, an incompetent and essentially dead “politician”.

  5. Pf is a failed project unfortunately there’s NO opposition.

    The ONLY opposition will only with no solution. A bridge collapsed in Italy. In Zambia blame would fall on pf .

    Upendi must grow up and redeem up. Unfortunately the party belongs to one person.

    He s behaving like a kid who owns a football and his friends will never put him on the bench because he will simply walk away with his ball

    6times straight losses

    Rb beat him

    Sata beat him

    Lungu beat him twice

    In USA you lose once and go

    • 6 times straight loses nothing like that in the whole world.

      He will go in world history. 2021 he s losing again. He makes believe upendi is a tonga party and without him there is no upendi

  6. Interesting. Next the banks are going to complain about the unfair completion from mobile money then we should come up with new taxes to save jobs in the banking sector if that’s our philosophy

  7. 30 ngwee is just a start, when they smell more money it will go to 95ngwee…watch this space!!

    And that Mushimba boy, I don’t trust his mental faculties after his Zambia airways resurrection which is destined to be a very costly failure like the sovereign bonds.

  8. The post office and the newspapers are dying too because of the internet .What are you gonna do about those jobs Dorah?

  9. Is this the lady who raised her middle finger in the Zambian parliament. The parliament where they slap each other and pour water on each other. Nifunsa chabe

  10. They get free talk time

    Free SUV with fuel

    Free accommodation

    Free water

    Free electricity

    Thats what chiluba left us with and pf has maintained the abuse at expense of the poor blogger who wants to be heard

    We need a vibrant opposition that provides attractive solutions not just bitterness

    • YOU WILL CONTINUE CRYING FOR A VIBRANT OPPOSITION BUT STILL LEAVE PF IN POWER. WHY NOT JOIN HANDS TO BETTER THE EXISTING OPPOSITION BY OFFLOADING YOUR IDEAS. CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU FOR A BETTER ZAMBIA. THERE IS NO MIRACLE THAT WILL COME TO SAVE YOU FROM THE MESS PF IS CAUSING BUT YOU NEED TO ACT UNITEDLY.

  11. The old landline phones are dying due to cell phones and cable subscription is dying due to internet streaming services.Can we tax these disruptors to save jobs Dorah?

    Dorah =such backward logic no wonder Zambia remains a 3rd world nation.

  12. You know, don’t become irrelevant like Given Lubinda who says the constitutional court has not delivered judgements in the parliamentary election petitions of 2016, three years down the line now because the court is still studying the cases. Believe me, that is coming from a minister. Zambia why, why, why, my beloved country why.

  13. Dora you fat pig go and tell that to villagers in your village. We werent born yesterday. To think that dora is considered as one of most attractive women in zambia is beyond me. Do zambian men love overweight women. My nice swiss wife always asks me why this is so. Anyone help me with answer?

  14. Cheap imports from south africa are the ones robbing our people of Jobs! Tax these imports heavily then we will save jobs! Tomatoes and vegetables really?

  15. I have three questions?

    ?Is data free in Zambia?
    ?Is the tax going to government coffers or its going to be returned by the service providers.
    ?Do our law makers think of the poor in their constituencies?

    • Answers:
      * Data is NOT free. There is already Excise Duty (10%) and VAT on top of the set price.
      * Have you ever seen ZRA or service providers returning any money?
      * Of course they do. Just wait for next election or by-election and they will be swarming all over peddling usual crap about unprecedented development.

    • This Government is annoying. Why tax people who already pay a lot to access the internet and not the ISPs? They dig up the roads to connect fibre cables but do not do a good job to mend the roads.

  16. I thought you need to buy bundles to make those calls and use the internet either way. The telecommunications industry should instead be innovative to survive instead of the govt working on imposing taxes or tariffs. For how long will this type measure be introduced everyti.e an industry is threatened?

  17. @Its Politiical: I agree with you: People should not complain in Zambia. We voted PF in power so they are doing their jobs. Continue and bring more taxes so that we know that you in Power. PF IN POWER.

  18. Our GRZ I implore you as opposed to tax your people get Facebook/WhatsAp to seat on the table with you and find a solution to your concerns. Why we in Zambia have to pay so much for everything, DSTV, Data, voice all these are expensive compared to many developing countries in the same region.

    This tax regime is not even sustainable/right, how do you impose a flat 30 Ngwe on all people who are using internet calls differently?

    • @jj dicity is in upendi. The chaps keeps missing 6 penalties and you keep giving him chances as other bunch of penalt takers are clapping

      The chap was in chimbokaila his vice a bemba coudnt act in his place.

      Get it u5 will die as UPEND president not Zambia

    • PF please you can do better than this “It’s Political” character,do you pay him?If you do pay him demand a refund.These are the people who are sinking you,we are talking about Tax and the f00l is talking about prisons and penalties.At the rate we are going i would not be suprised to discover that he is a Minister and a Member of Cabinet.
      Lusambo is that you?Will you get off the computer and get to work sha….

  19. Ufontini uyo…you want to charge people a tax you claim will save the service provider who charges to provide the very internet you claim to be a threat? It’s a bit like saying let’s charge tax on water because people are now drinking, zigoro and tea instead of water. You even have the guts to use Twitter to post your message possibly on the free internet paid for by the taxpayers. This is the case where the servant becomes the master. let’s start showing these politicians who the boss really is. absolute nonsense!

    • But at the end of the day docile Zambians will pay…the funny thing is the ones complaining are they youth who don’t even vote like they are paying for Toll fees!!

  20. Dora if you don’t have something sensible to say just keep quiet, we’ll understand even if you don’t say anything. Put your priorities well and everything will fall into place. You are spending colossal sums of money trying to monitor what we do, that won’t keep you in office. The biggest thing that happened to PF was to wrestle power from MMD, the next will be to lose it. How soon that will happen is up to the people of Zambia. But it seems it’s quickly approaching, especially looking at how PF is behaving

  21. Time to sweep dirt under the carpet is long gone. Work up African leaders. Move with the times. It is extremely expensive to make a call to Zambia via traditional means.
    why not reduce your charges and have more customers on your platforms and thereby opening up space for advertisers so you make revenue as a result.
    Such decisions will keep you at the bottom for the rest of your existence.

  22. Ana ba Dora nano, people will be comfortable paying this Tax, if you take that cash, & use it to pay for Gym membership.
    Mafuta pa chi mala yafulisha!
    Anyway where equally unhealthy Fat Chimbwi’s, to tell us “It’s Global” like he used to when he was eating crumbs from ba Jona’s high table???

  23. Am confused now: dorah almost made sense to me but then after reading comments am kind of confused even more. Post office, print media issue. I think I heard the government will share money with phone providers – i don’t understand this. Why can’t these guys innovate and compete. Besides Zambian phone providers for both calls and data is too high compared to our neighbours

  24. Thats the problem. We are here being arm chair critics and it ends here. Lets be out there protesting. Oh i forgot.. police will just arrest us coz theres no freedom. By the end of the day you ll hear ati i have sued grz. Come back and give me thumbs up.

  25. Dora I know you were also victimised by Late Micheal Sata for privatising Zamtel but that 30 ngwee tax has vindicated MMD and Rupiah Banda. Why was Zamtel repossessed from Lap Green leaving Zambians with a $600 million bill to pay? Why is Zamtel failing to innovate and introduce new technologies?

  26. This tax imposition decision is very unpopular. Decisions like this imposed on the people have a tendency to act as an excuse not a reason for against-government movements. Listen to the voices of the people.

    • Chitutuma
      Bana vinila ndalama zonse na zamwibala banadya na mbuto,now they are desperate they are clutching at straws to try and survive.Am not even interested with 2021 it is how they get there that will be interesting to watch.The price of copper reached it’s peak recently without any trickle down effects from pro poor PF.Remember with Mwanawasa we all felt the trickle down effect with PF the trickle down effect is only felt by the cadres like Kamba and the ka f00l who was buying hats at 300 million kwacha

  27. How do you tax a service already taxed in the talk time sold? Does it mean talk time will now be cheaper as citizens are clearly paying an extra 30 ngwee on to of the tax included in talk time

    You should also Tax emails whilst you at it to save Jobs at Zambia Postal Service.

  28. I have never heard such rubbish! Tax people and give money to a private company? How? Why are Zambians so daft ? How does ZRA give money to Airtel or MTN? Why?

  29. Sad to think a whole cabinet sat down, debated and decided to charge for internet use. We have very clever cabinet ministers but its almost as if they have been zombified.

    • Titus Musankwa
      Which clever cabinet ministers?Kampyongo our Mr Threat,Chitotela ba infrastructure,Kapata the Baptist,Kampamba who cant talk,Davis Chama Mr Quiet, have you ever sat down to see the people you call ministers?They even hide in tinted cars.

  30. These PF gangs don’t even know what they are talking about….they just meet to thrash out taxes on people with out knowing anything …….

    Ati saving talk time sellers jobs ? Just provide real jobs for the youth you theives…

  31. The funny thing about this tax is that the foooools had hidden it in that Cyber bill…no one in Parliament had bothered to read the whole thing

    • Jay Jay i dont know if the question should be did they read or can they read.Then there are those who can read like Lusambo but cant understand,then there are those who can read and understand but their stomachs are more important like Mutati.

  32. I would love to know technologically how this will be implemented short of a cold war era mechanism of tagging and surveilling people’s Internet usage even more closely than it is currently. Secondly, was this lobbied by the private companies currently selling bundles that include the said social media apps? Will they be extricated from the bundle so that those who have no business using them do not suffer unnecessary levies (like the TV license for those who only have electricity but no TV)… Awe mwe. Nifunsa cabe! Eh-eh – ni cani!?

  33. Its time to dununa this government out of power. Some of these decisions are so shallow its dangerously worrying. Tax foreign companies more and educate our people. Don’t spend on unnecessary new VX vehicles, and cheat the masses you are serving them. This is so sad.

  34. Alternative Facts Fake News S**thole Countries Social Mobility Chinese Zambia Police Reservists Corruption scandals: Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Alternative Facts Fake News S**thole Countries Social Mobility Chinese Zambia Police Reservists Corruption scandals: Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

    She is not that clever, isn’t she? Internet is not free; people pay for Internet which is already taxed to make VoIP calls. And Internet is provided (sold) by the same Mobile phone service providers so what is she talking about?

    => Mobile phone is a service (provided by the mobile service providers);
    => Internet is a service (provided by the same mobile service providers)

    The 2 are separate services but they are provided by the same companies.

    Is she saying the Internet service party of these companies will kill the Mobile phone service of the same companies?

    Doesn’t make sense.

    And does Facebook even come in? Facebook is a free service which requires Internet to access it and Internet is not free!

    Dumba$s!

  35. Alternative Facts Fake News S**thole Countries Social Mobility Chinese Zambia Police Reservists Corruption scandals: Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Alternative Facts Fake News S**thole Countries Social Mobility Chinese Zambia Police Reservists Corruption scandals: Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

    And just how are they going to save these mobile service providers jobs? By taking money from their Internet arm of their business and reallocating it to their mobile phone service arm?

    Apparently these are the smartest people in the country coming up with innovative ideas. They just want to find a way to steal more money from the docile Zambians.

    People around the world would laugh when they hear about this.

    @ Skype and Facebook will destroy Zambian jobs… unbelievable!

    For anyone in Zambia reading this, there are many ways to circumvent this problem, the least of which is VPN.

  36. Its better the Government comes out in the open to say they have failed to pay the Eurobond so they have decided to be taxing people with more creative ways so as to pay up for the loan. We shall understand. Mr. Lungu your excellency try us we shall understand tell us the truth. Dora please tell the president then communicate back to us about this advice. Shall be waiting for your updated public announcement. China once did it when they wanted to develop their country they were honest told the people each person had to work had to achieve what they visioned that’s over 70 years ago . Look now it’s worked and working hard has become part of their culture..

    • Trigo
      Is it failing to pay the eurobond alone that they have failed?
      They have failed to create jobs
      They have failed to secure citizens from the rats they call cadres
      They have failed to account for public revenues
      They have failed to provide credible elections
      The question is “..what have they achieved?”
      They will start Sontapo,when asked to account for the monies in their sontapo projects they again fail.PF is a failed project

  37. This is very laughable. I have never heard Siliya this flat-footed. She could barely raise her voice and has been given the responsibility to support a shoddy deal likely initiated by a drunken Mwanakatwe. Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp could block Zambia and clearly in a Trump world, tariffs could be imposed. It is illogical to tax consumers in a view to assist Telecoms save profits, this too is very laughable. Telecoms are showing increasing profits, data is the new game at play, Government already taxes data, why tax it further? Even more embarrassing is hearing those supporting something as dull and impracticable as this. Siliya says government will invest in infrastructure, Telecoms do not use government assets. Costs of data are so negligible.

  38. DEVELOP SOFT HEARTS AND LET GOVERNMENT CLIMB THIS UPHILL BATTLE
    ========================================
    You are making valid points there. I tried to reason with them and they are adamant. What else can you say which they haven’t heard?
    So to follow up on this, the Government of the republic of Zambia does not have internet servers to ensure that every voip application capable call could be monitored, captured and tagged with a tariff yet. What are we left with, then? A ZICTA followup mechanism to force ISPs to install software agents to track voip or related protocols for billing purposes. If you are using Satellite Internet, you may be off the big brother’s hook, who would know where your ISP could be? Big brother got to eat. Yes top free messaging/calling apps and related social…

    • …media programs like Whatsapp, Facebook, Skype, Wechat and rivals like Google Hangouts, Yahoo Messenger, TinyChat, Jitsi, Oovoo, tango, ezTalks plus many more, are not much of a business for the Government of Zambia. Govt will have to block them the China way – to save Airtel, MTN and Zamtel. But can they do that? These apps are freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. That’s why I said lets see how smart the Zambian Government think they are. Technology is the world of possibilities. Oooh! I love the tech world. Lets remember also that these apps were created with ease of doing business in mind. It could be an uphill battle but with Chinese busy setting up companies in Zambia, they will definitely implement some day. Technology is the world of possibilities. Maybe we have to hear…

    • … Maybe we have to hear government out. The assualt on Traditional Telecoms is real, I guess, though. Government got to do what government got to do.
      JUST PAY YOUR TAXES.

  39. sometimes i wonder the thinking capacity for these people, when you look at ISPs they are the ones providing data to customer, so now it is the question of these ISPs to be competitive and offer VoIP solutions with good QoS, end to end so that customer can choose which networks to start with based on the ones with good internet call quality when using those apps.

  40. This is what happens when leaders run out of ideas of where to borrow next. The reasoning itself is a pure ‘fallacy’. Another way to steal many from the gullible masses. Because we our current GRZ can’t account for expediture. Instead of being creative, this is best the can come up with. To think that they sat and all agreed for this really goes beyond me.

  41. The truth of the matter is that the govt coffers have run dry and the pf govt is now just scavenging for a few coins from here and there

  42. If these companies offers “free” services, how come they are worth billions of monies in valuation?

    These over the top technologies do indeed pose a threat because as broadband speeds and network coverage improve, these platforms pay nothing on infrastructure, while they are collecting your most intimate conversations, questionable internet searches and downloaded content. Maybe if people start paying for it, they may know that power they have given away. You already sold your souls for free, what’s a K329/year? Assuming you make an internet call every day. Yes they need the money, who doesn’t?

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