The amendment of the Finance Bill (2018) has gone into effect, which means that phone users will need to dig deeper into their pockets for calls and data services.
The adjustment of the bill, which was revealed earlier this week, hiked the excise duty on calls and internet services by 5 percent to 20 percent.
This is barely three years after the proposal went live, during which the same services attracted substantial amounts of fees. This was obvious, especially for people that use broadband services.
Airtel Kenya, the nation’s second leading operator has already adjusted its call rates to match up with the added tax.
Here are the new prices for calls (per minute):
| Call rate | Airtel to Airtel (KES) | Airtel to other networks (KES) |
| 2 + Tax rate | 2.78 | 2.78 |
| 4 + Tax rate | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Airtel Kenya adds that it has ‘ensured that prices of all data and voice bundles remain unchanged.’
The statement means that the carrier has not made any changes for Amazing, Unliminet and Tubonge bundles.
We stay committed to ensuring that our customers continue to enjoy the best value for their money, through our products and services – Airtel.
Other operators are yet to communicate their call and internet changes. They still will do so, so brace yourself for more fees on your calls and internet.
