The Committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development, is today expected to receive a petition challenging the 12% tax on internet data.
The petition is also challenging the high power and water tariffs. The petition will be delivered by Gateway Research Centre, an evidence based NGO that focuses on informing policy for both private and public sectors such as education, gender and women empowerment, health, capacity building, poverty and youths, food security and environment.
In April this year, Parliament passed the Excise duty amendment bill 2021 that among others introduced a 12% tax on internet data.
Government justified the new internet tax that replaced the OTT tax, saying it was meant to protect the revenue from the taxed services including airtime, value added services which was shrinking and hence poses a risk of revenue loss.