This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
Published on August 16, 2019, Kenya's ICT ministry is in the final stages of developing a framework to tax foreign online streaming media services, including YouTube and Netflix.
The over-the-top services (OTT) will soon be required to declare the incomes they derive from Kenyan consumers, a move aimed at ensuring that the government and local artists benefit from the industry.
Communications Authority director-general Francis Wangusi noted that online content providers exploit the Kenyan industry without contributing to the local economy.
"Many countries, especially developed ones, have policies that guide these services, and that is where we are heading to as a country," Mr Wangusi told the Business Daily.
The proposed policy framework will also ensure that foreign advertisements airing in the Kenyan market are subjected to taxation.
Already, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced plans to collaborate with CA to introduce VAT obligations for app developers trading in Kenya.
