Uzbekistan adds subscriber tax

The Uzbekistan government is set to impose a fee on the use of active mobile numbers, according to Trend News. Under the new measure, wireless operators will be charged UZS400 (USD0.22) per month, per number in use, which will represent a de facto tax based on the size of a company’s customer base. With more than 25 million active wireless customers at the end of December 2011, the government looks to earn more UZS120 billion (USD66.8 million) from the new tax in 2012. 90% of the revenue from the fees will be channelled into the state budget, whilst the remaining 10% will bolster the coffers of Uzbekistan’s telecoms regulator, Uzbek Agency for Communication and Information (UzACI). It is not yet clear whether or not this charge will be passed on to customers, or absorbed by the cellcos themselves.