Consumer rights defenders are up in arms against the proposed levy on mobile phone users.
The proposal to have phone users pay and annual fee of 5,000 shillings was brought forward by shadow finance minister Geoffrey Ekanya, drawing mixed reaction from a cross section of Ugandans.
The executive director Uganda Consumer Protection Association Sam Watasa says consumers are already paying tax on airtime and need not be burdened with new taxes.
He says government should concentrate on how best to use the available revenue rather than introducing new taxes which are rather irrelevant.
Uganda has an estimated 17.5 million mobile users, with this tax expected to raise about 85 billion annually if adopted by Parliament.
