Protests in Lebanon after move to tax calls on messaging appsThe information minister says users will be charged a 20 cent fee for each call made through messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Viber. Across the country, demonstrators chanted the popular refrain of the 2011 Arab Spring protests: "The people demand the fall of the regime." Public anger has simmered since parliament passed an austerity budget in July with the aim of trimming the country's ballooning deficit. The situation worsened last month after banks and money exchange houses rationed dollar sales, sparking fears of a currency devaluation. On Wednesday, the government approved tax hikes on tobacco products.Before the proposed tax was scrapped, Information Minister Jamal Jarrah had announced a 20 cent daily fee for messaging app users who made calls on platforms such as WhatsApp and Viber.

Source: Standard Digital October 18, 2019 12:00 UTC