Zimbabwean Approves Tax to Support State Broadcaster’s ‘Propaganda’

Zimbabwe passed a law this week forcing motorists to pay a radio tax in order to register and insure their vehicles, in an attempt to support a state broadcaster that many call a mouthpiece for the governing party, the Associated Press reported. 

The new measure, an amendment to the country’s Broadcasting Services Act, will mean that Zimbabwean drivers will have to pay $92 annually to renew their insurance or obtain a license for their vehicle.  

The funds collected by the tax will go to the state broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp. (ZBC), a public broadcaster that has been accused of disseminating propaganda on behalf of the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), especially during elections, the BBC noted. The ZBC also receives government grants. 

Nick Mangwana, a senior official in the ministry of information, called the new law “necessary” and “fair.” 

The fee is part of an initiative to increase revenue streams for the broadcaster: The ZBC has been struggling with declining advertising revenue, which opponents say is because both its audience and its advertisers gain little from its content. Meanwhile, Zimbabweans say they already pay for radio and television fees if they own a TV or radio at home or at a workplace. 

Also, most Zimbabweans don’t consume news from the ZBC but rely on the independent press, WhatsApp, and the Internet, said Kudzai Kadzere, a lawyer in the capital, Harare. “This is too much for the already overburdened taxpayer,” he told the AP. “Now we are being forced to pay for propaganda.” 

In 2016, an opposition lawmaker filed a lawsuit against the fees with the Zimbabwe Constitutional Court, arguing that the public broadcaster was biased and that the fee should be abolished. However, the court dismissed it.