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Social media tax is a compulsory tax imposed by the government on social media users. Introduced in African countries (Benin, Chad, Kanya, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda) in 2018, it is seen as “punishing taxes” and have forced millions of internet users to stop using the social media. 
Data sellers in affected countries were also forced to cut off staffs because of the levy. The social media platforms affected are more than 60 online platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, Linkedin, Instagram, etc.
Even though Benin have canceled social media tax, it is still in effect in Chad, Uganda, and Tanzania. While it is underway in Kenya and Zambia, some governments claimed the tax is imposed to strengthen the internally generated revenue and to tame “idle talk” online.
However the tax rate is different from one country to another, Chad and Zambia are less affected.
With the highest internet penetration rate of 51%, Uganda poses to be most affected by the imposed tax and have lost over 5 million internet users as a result of the tax.
Despite the immediate adverse effect on Uganda internet users community, it still has the lowest cost of data at $0.44 per 1G daily likewise Tanzania. Whereas, Chad has the highest cost of data at $3.7 per 1G.
Among the affected countries, Uganda has the lowest minimum wage at $3.41 per month, and this may be responsible for the instant adverse effect of social media tax on internet users in Uganda. Countries that may be probably be next affected include Zambia and Benin.
