TAXING FOREIGN SOAP OPERAS

By: Glen Don

OPINION DERIVED FROM ITUMBI'S SPEECH DURING KENYA FILM SUMMIT AT CINEMA HALL. 

Tax forms the crux of the governance. In fact no tax Government cannot run its daily activities. Tax is like an engine of the Government. Who will pay employees, what will improve the infrastructure leave alone building infrastructural facilities? How will 'Wanjiku' cross the river if the bridge is not erected over it?

The Government collects taxes to runs its activities in all sectors and tax is money levied by the government from various commodities and services.

Recently, tax imposition has become more punitive to common citizens.

They lament over heavy taxes day in day out, only for the Government to intervene and have mercy on them, but there tears are drop of water in the ocean. Tears that does not even quake.

But time is now, when citizens are questioning the system being used by the government when imposing taxes. 

The previous regime was vilified for the taxation and high cost of living by then, the current regime promised heavens but now the citizens are finding themselves being dragged to gehenna. The question whether current and past scenario matches the adage better the devil you know than the angel you don't, is still blurry.

The tax has become the talk of the day and thought at night. The Government speaks of taxing the 'mwananchi' , the executive speaks of policies to be implemented in enhancing taxation, Kenya Revenue Authority deploys more members to enhance service provision and tax collection; the The Revenue Service Assistants is not a new term today to the taxman. The Parliament passes the policies encouraging taxation brought to them on the floor either by the pro-tax minions from the Assembly's floor, or by members of executive or by the government, and the citizens laments are of punitive taxes but no one cares, not even the Government and the citizens normalise the anomaly.

The issue of the tax imposition has become normal to the executive, to an extent they speak it roadsides.

On September 29, 2023, at Nairobi Cinema, during Kenya Film Summit,Digital Strategist, Dennis Itumbi inauguration, spoke of new taxation targeting TV stations that are airing foreign soap operas.

According to Strategist Itumbi, soap operas aired in various media stations for visuality, deprives chance the domestic content creators, also he argues that local television channels have not been subjected to tax due to improvised storage device; flash drive.

Perhaps, from his perspective he meant well for the content creators, but before running to better side of the stage-speech which are only meant to please and are tailor-made for audience at an event, some analysis must be done. 

    Killing of the Media.

The beef with the media and Government is not at infancy stage. For a good history checker, it began in the period of 2018-2022 polarised political inugami, when most of present day Government officials were in the ' imaginary' opposition.

They accused media of biases and to date the relationship is yet to be regained. Of course, media is not answerable to any and media stations discharge their duties so long as it is within the moral ethics and conduct.

The rancor did not end in the Month of August but extended.

I grew up and found visual meda airing foreign soap operas at a particular hour, Governments have been to existence but they never interfered with the media's daily activity programs.

Today, the Government official speaks of taxing the contents mean a lot. 

Media relies on audience, and the audience choses TV station that gives the best per his or her taste. When this is done away with, it means media will lack what to air. Why lacking?

Recently there was a tussle between the Government and TikTok company over the contents being aired on the platform, the basis for the struggle was because the contents there were unworth for consumption. TikTok users comprise of youth as the majority while adults contributes to a quarter percentage.

The current Television consumers are majorly adults. If adults themselves have not raised red flag over the foreign contents on TVs but local contents on TikTok have even stepped the floor of the court, then it is worth raising questions.

Media depends on audienceship for survival, when they are taxed, it implies that they will either have an option of going hard way of accepting the taxation, begin airing local contents or swiftly change the program arrangement. But is media ready for hard way of tax? Of course not easy. Is media media ready for other two alternatives? Then it all lies with the media house. 

Another question worth asking is whether the TVs consumers are ready for the local contents or not.

Where will media houses get revenues for running daily activities?

This simply means media to start fighting for their freedom in economic class and turns to be profit organisations, purely business. 

Media is independent and is not worth killing.

Palatable Contents 

Palatability of contents is what matters.

It is unrighteous to claim that almost local contents are unpalatable and cannot be amicably consumed by all age brackets regardless of gender.

Majority of content creators falls in the right track while there are those who dismally perform in delivering quality contents. The contents that you cannot show generation three, contents that lack moral lesson to be derived from, local contents that do not dare questioning ethical standards .

Foreign contents, in comparison to present day contents are more palatable than local ones. The main content creators in Kenya are youths and the youths desire content creation either for trending in order to be famous like politicians; they desire being celebrity and that's all, they create contents in order earn. The contents barely lack talent basis but rather muddled with money hunting.

The foreign began long ago, even before renaissance and Africa's especially Kenya's is when is budding. 

Should media opt for local contents, will they found consistency in airing them without one day lacking what to run? Will Media find adequate quality contents to air for even half a century?

Technology.

Promotion of local contents is nugget in a cranny but deserves keen eye for extraction, deserves sharp shining mind to detect.

The Government is fighting for the local content creators and the bottom line here is contents. 

Contents are created for the audience to consume. When the Government decides to impose tax on media house airing these foreign contents, who will sit watching them?

There is this segment of audience that do not find it easy watching locals and will opt to social media or internet and get his or her taste and preferred foreign soap opera there. By this it is media being punished and not promoting domestic talents.

It is the audience being punished and not benefitting media and even the creator of the content at any level.

The world has revolutionised to an extent everyone follow his preferred choice without coercion.

 Gone are the times when radio and television were the only source of entertainment, information and education. 

There are other platforms; internet, social media platforms have graced this period. 

Everything is at finger tips than old ages.

The audience are fragile to media such that audience's attention is what matters.

Kenya's Readiness

It was said, by an official, perhaps, the amending of the law might come into place and media may face it as it is. Albeit it is undeniable when actuality knocks, but is Kenya ready for airing its own contents?

There is moral acceptance within the Kenyan societies regardless of time, this raises questions of palatability.

Will they last to the extent of satisfying audience, this brings issue of consistency.Power of words or words of power?

Matter of taxes is a sensitive. Legislatures amend laws on tax and that is part of their job, after proper channel adhered to.

When an executive speaks especially non- gazetted policies , it can easily be termed as theatrics that are only to protect the image, until such words reaches implementation stage, success 

The speeches on the podia therefore may sound as a threat or personified grudge.

The work of every Cabinet Secretary is well defined according to the position he or she holds.

What happens when a role is overdone, or when one crosses line and visits the neighbour's docket?

Is Taxing foreign contents the best cure?

When tax becomes the order of the day, then, it is explicit that intention is money, however good the results was to be.

What was wrong with other avenues of bettering domestic contents?

The domestic content creators in their industry is full of redundancy.

They themselves copy the foreign contents hence lacking originality, yet Kenya wants to benefit them.

In TikTok, Nyako is the content creator but the kind of words she spews does not meet the merit of quality content, in YouTube, Andrew Kibe's account was blocked and videos blocked due to the contents, yet these contents are what majority finds scintillating,how? 

There are content creators, but if you follow them on their social media pages, they speak nothing that matches quality contents.

What is the benefit of having Eric Omondi as the content creators yet they run short of ideas and start flaunting millions they have than relaying contents with moral teachings.

The content creators that exist lavishly exposes their lifestyle than nurturing youths on the right path, no wonder majority of youths have the desire of acquiring wealth, because of they are seeing. No wonder the Government 'jealously' imposed tax on digital content creators in the 2023/24 finance Bill.

The cure is to have academies that purely teach artistry and talentship, that would see those who have talents utilising availability of these academies. Through these institutions, there would be no need for song writer, poet, dancer, author, actors among others to go through bureaucratic system of education.

By this, film industry cannot go dry and many can be accommodated. Thanks to Talanta Hela program. This noble program can gain momentum when the upcoming talent owners get adequate education in regard to their field of specialisation.

Ignorance will be done away with, redundancy will come to an end, many will realise their potentials.

This is achieved only if the Government come in place and better the sector than rushing to taxation.