Category:

Technology

Uganda scraps controversial social media tax

Uganda’s designate minister of state for finance in charge of planning,. Amos Lugoloobi said the government has instead introduced a direct tax of 12 per cent on airtime and mobile internet data in the East African country. “I rationalize the excise duty regime on telecommunication services by scrapping the excise duty on Over-The-Top (OTT) and introduce a harmonized excise duty rate of 12 per cent on airtime, value-added services and internet data excluding data for the provision of medical services and the provision of education services,” said Lugoloobi.

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Volkswagen to receive 270 million euro from its D&O Liability insurers in dieselgate settlement

The settlement marks a major milestone in Volkswagen’s efforts to turn a page on its biggest ever corporate scandal, which has cost it more than 32 billion euros in vehicle refits, fines and legal costs so far.

The scandal, which Volkswagen initially blamed on a small number of rogue engineers, also spurred it to launch a huge investment in electric cars.

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SoftBank’s PayPay surges ahead in Japan’s digital payments race

PayPay is emerging as a key driver of a government-supported consumer shift away from cash as Japan grapples with deepening labour shortages and the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Late to payments, SoftBank drove the uptake of PayPay through cash-back campaigns. In one prominent example, it gave away 10 billion yen ($90 million) in 10 days.

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Emerging risks set to shape a post-COVID-19 world:Swiss Re

COVID-19 to worsen income inequality; growth in the global middle class slowed and poverty levels rose in 2020
• Government support programmes have kept alive unviable zombie companies, leading to increased credit and financial market risks
• Electric vehicles and other decarbonised means of transport can
cut up to 24% of current C02 emissions from fuel combustion

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