Lifts, choirs, tuk tuks and boda bodas to pay music royalties in new arrangement
New royalty tariffs will be collected from Boda Boda, Tuk tuks if a gazette notice by Attorney General Githu Muigai is enforced.
Boda Boda and Tuk tuks will be charged an annual fee of Sh300 and Sh900 respectively. Also to be affected aircrafts which will be charged Sh1,039 per seat for audio or Sh1,234 for video for the first 50 seats.
Video exhibitions will be charged an annual flat rate of Sh6,000 and jukebox operators Sh9,000 and Sh1,2000 for audio and sound per unit per year. Non-resident DJs and VJs will pay Sh12,000 and Sh15,000 per unit per person.
“Music on Hold” will cost will cost Sh150 per landline per year.
ROAD SHOWS
Concerts with 3,000 participants will pay Sh250,000 and Sh300,000 per year for audio and video.
Road shows per truck per day for corporates, NGOs, the government or politicians will cost Sh30,000.
Live music performances for over 400 persons, Sh100,000 or Sh1.5 million a year.
Any choir will pay Sh12,000 while nightclubs and discotheques in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru will pay between Sh78,000 and Sh550,000 a year.
RINGBACK TONES
Playing music in lifts will cost between Sh570 and Sh7,000 for audio and Sh700 to Sh8,750 for video.
Cinemas will pay a minimum of Sh5,250 for audio and Sh6,250 for video music.
The maximum will range between Sh10 and Sh16 per square foot.
The same will apply for private members’ clubs, halls, shops, showrooms, and banking halls, gymnasiums, hair salons and barbers.
New media such as caller ring back tones, downloads, and streaming will attract new levies.
SIZE MATTERS
Hotels, restaurants and bars will be charged based on their ratings.
Industrial premises, factories, staff canteens, engineering workshops, and greenhouses will be charged a year based on their sizes.
Public service vehicles (PSVs) and taxis will be charged between Sh2,000 and Sh30,700 for audio, and visual PSVs between Sh2,500 and Sh36,500.
Broadcast media will be charged between Sh200,000 and Sh700,000 per month per station while commercial TV stations will pay Sh150,000 a month.
OUTRAGEOUS
The secretary general of the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek), Mr Stephen Mutoro has however termed the move as outrageous and abuse of power.
“We are going to be greatly affected with this new tariffs being imposed on us. Imagine if a boda boda operator is taxed, this will mean that he will have to raise his labour fee to the Mama Mboga, raising the cost of living to the common Mwananchi,” said Mr Mutoro.
The Kenya Copyrights Board (Kecobo) on their part have said that the issue is still under discussions and will reduce the amount to be charged from the original sum.
“Kecobo together with concerned stakeholders have reviewed the initial amounts of tax to be charged and have decided to downsize the prices to be charged,” said Mr Edward Sigei, the Executive Director at Kecobo.
The new taxes are set to be made public within a months’ time and enforced soon after.