KILICHOTOKEA: Hivi karibuni Serikali ya Jamhuri wa Muungano wa Tanzania imepitisha sheria ya Fedha 2021/2022 ambayo imeweka mzigo mkubwa sana wa kodi kwenye bidhaa na huduma mbalimbali, moja ya eneo liliyoathirika sana ni mawasiliano ikiwemo miamala ya simu ambayo ni maeneo muhimu na nyeti sana kwa ukuaji wa uchumi, Miamala ya simu ni daraja la maendeleo kwa wananchi wengi walio masikini .
Kodi zilizowekwa kwenye miamala zina athari nyingi sana kichumi, ajira na huduma ya kifedha ambayo ni huduma muhimu na inakwenda kinyume kabisa na malengo ya uchumi shiriki.

HIVYO BASI, WANANCHI TUNAAMINI:
Kwamba, makampuni ya simu na wananchi wanalipa kodi zaidi ya 10 kwa huduma ya mawasiliano, mfano unalipa kodi unaponunua simu, unaponunua laini ya simu, ukituma hela kulikuwa na VAT na kodi nyingine , makampuni ya simu yanalipa kodi, kuna tozo la halmashauri , tozo ya mamalaka ya mawasialiano nchini (TCRA) na nyingine nyingi na sasa wameongeza kodi hii mpya ya miamala ya simu (“kodi ya mshikamano”). Kutoza kodi nyingi kwa chanzo kimoja inakinzana na msingi muhimu wa kiuchumi na ni kuua sekta husika.
 
Kwamba, sheria ya fedha iliyoleta tozo/kodi hii ya miamala haikuwa shirikishi. Wadau na wananchi hawajashirikishwa kikamilifu katika mchakato wa kutunga sheria na kupitisha kodi hii kandamizi
 
Kwamba, kodi hii ya miamala ni ya kibaguzi (regressive tax) na kuwaumiza wananchi wa hali ya chini wanaofanya miamala ya kiasi kidogo cha fedha. Kodi hii kwa muamala wa shilingi 1,000 hukatwa 28.7% ya fedha inayotumwa, wakati huohuo, kodi ya muamala wa shilingi milioni moja ni 0.6%. Gharama kwa miamala midogo ni kubwa na mzigo mzito kwa watu wa hali ya chini. Serikali inatakiwa kutambua kuwa fedha wanazoona kwenye miamala ya simu sio zote ni umiliki au kipato kipya ila inaweza kuwa ni hifadhi ya fedha ambazo wananchi wameshakatwa kodi mfano biashara au mishahara au matumizi binafsi/familia au zinatumwa kwenda kununua bidhaa ambayo ina kodi nyingine. Kuanzisha kodi kubwa kwenye hii huduma ya kutuma na kutoa fedha ni kufanya ukandamizaji na ubaguzi, na inaondoa wananchi kwenye mifumo imara ya kifedha na kuondoa fursa za kiuchumi.
 
Kwamba, Kodi hii aliyoita Waziri Mwigulu kuwa ni ya “mshikamano” ina athari kubwa kwa  mawakala kutokana na wananchi kupunguza miamala. Baada tu ya kodi kupitishwa, mawakala wamekiri kupungua kwa miamala kwa asilimia zaidi ya 50.
 
Kwamba, Kodi hii kandamizi inatuma ujumbe mbaya kwa wawekezaji, Makampuni ya simu yanapambana kuwekeza kwenye mifumo ya huduma za fedha, lakini sasa wameingia kwenye sitofahamu hasa kwa huduma hiyo kuwekewa kodi kubwa ambayo itapunguza watumiaji kinyume na matarajio yao ya miamala kuongezeka.
 
Kwamba, wepesi wa kufanya biashara na malipo umeathirika kwani wafanyabiashara mbalimbali ambao ni walipaji wakubwa wa kodi, kwenye biashara zao wamekuwa wakitumiana fedha kwa ajili ya manunuzi ya mazao na bidhaa mbalimbali, Kodi hii inakwenda kuumiza wananchi walio maeneo yasiyo na benki, hivyo wafanyabiashara wengi watapandisha bei za bidhaa kurudisha gharama hasa kwa wale waliokuwa wakitumiana fedha kwenye simu kama sehemu ya malipo.
 
Kwamba inaongeza Kero ya Muungano kwani wazanzibari watakatwa kodi hii, lakini maeneo yanayodaiwa kwenda kutumika ni elimu na ujenzi wa miundombinu ya nishati ambayo sio mambo ya Muungano. Hii inakwenda kuwa kero mpya ya Muungano, na ni unyonyaji wa upande wa Zanzibar
 
Kwamba, Kodi ya mshikamano imeongeza mzigo kwa Watanzania wanaoishi nje ya nchi pale wanapowatumia ndugu zao fedha au wanapotuma kwenye miradi wanayofanya nchini, hivyo kupunguza miamala ya diaspora kuja nchini.
 
 
HITIMISHO

Sisi wananchi wa Tanzania tunaitaka Serikali:
-       Ipeleke muswada kwa hati ya dharura kurekebisha sheria ya fedha ya mwaka  2021/2022 na KUFUTA kodi hii kandamizi na ya kibaguzi
-       ibane matumizi kama kupunguza posho za wabunge na watumishi wengine wa umma na kupunguza matumizi mengine yasiyo ya lazima kama vile matumizi magari ya kifahari kwa maafisa wake ili kuwe na bajeti kubwa ya maendeleo.
-       isimamie kwa uadilifu maliasili za umma na kupambana kuondoa ubadhirifu serikalini, ili upotevu na ufujaji wa fedha ukomeshwe, badala ya kuja na kodi mpya hii ya kinyonyaji
Ni wajibu wetu sote kulinda na kutetea maslahi mapana ya nchi na wananchi wote.

Weka sahihi na shirikisha rafiki na ndugu kufanya hivyo, ili wito huu ufikie serikali

ENGLISH 

Tanzania has introduced a regressive tax on mobile money transactions. The tax has a chilling effect on low-income earners. When one talks about digital financial inclusion for Africa, mobile money is the first and foremost success story. The mobile money system is now entrenched and even a substitute for banks. Mobile money has successfully brought on board ordinary people involved in the informal sector.
Mobile services are crucial drivers for innovation, gains and productivity and efficiency. Suffocating it in the name of collecting taxes is irresponsible. Claiming that this tax is purposed to increase development funding is incredulous as there is no reason for one industry to carry the entire burden of development funding.
 
Facts:
·       Already in 2015, the government was advised not to increase taxes and levies on mobile services as Telecom companies and citizens were paying already more than 10 different taxes for using mobile services. With this new tax on mobile transactions the government has gone overboard. This industry is unfairly overtaxed and targeted by the government as a cash cow. Instead the government should spread taxes evenly across all sectors which will lead to a significant decrease in mobile service costs and proportionally increase the ability of taxpayers to consume.
·       This tax is regressive as it proportionately impacts lower amount transactions. The tax on 1,000 Tshs makes up 28.7% of the amount while on 1 million shillings, the tax is only 0.6% of the total amount. Clearly a heavy burden on those who can least afford the tax.
·       The law enactment was not participatory. Stakeholders and ordinary citizens were not consulted properly or involved in the entire process.  
·       The tax has a wider impact on the revenue of mobile money agents after a drastic reduction in transactions that has already been witnessed in the first few days of the tax.
·       This additional regressive tax on the mobile economy disincentives further investment in the entire sector.
·       It increases the cost of doing business and payments for small and medium enterprises who are the key taxpayers thus creating further economic slowdown in an already economic situation.
With this petition, we the People of Tanzania, call on the Government to immediately take an amendment with certificate of urgency to the Parliament to amend the Finance Act 2021/2022 and abolish the tax. We also call on the Government revise all taxes related to the mobile industry. The government should increase development funding by reducing significantly its recurrent expenditure, stem corruption and excess waste, instead of inventing new taxes.