NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, September 6, 2018

By Abdi Latif Dahir

Benin has joined a growing list of African states imposing levies for using the internet.

The government passed a decree in late August taxing its citizens for accessing the internet and social-media apps. The directive, first proposed in July, institutes a fee (link in French) of 5 CFA francs ($0.008) per megabyte consumed through services like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. It also introduces a 5% fee, on top of taxes, on texting and calls, according to advocacy group Internet Sans Frontières (ISF).

Photo courtesy of Kārlis Dambrāns.