The Gambia Press Union has praised the Barrow government for lifting the national education levy on the print media.

The minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mambury Njie, had announced on Monday that all print media houses in the country were now exempted from the payment of the National Education and Technical Levy.

In a press release the Gambia Press Union (GPU) welcomed the announcement as “a major boost towards the promotion of an enabling environment for the vibrant media industry.”  

Sheriff Bojang Jr, president of GPU, said: “By imposing heavy tax and other financial burdens, the government ensured that the newspapers have limited capacity to expand production, hire more competent staff and award improved remuneration.”

He added: “We welcome exemption as an important first step toward removing the economic stranglehold of the media. Of course, we could do better by doing a more comprehensive review of the tax regime as it applies to media.

“The Union has consistently pointed out that the tax regime on media was imposed out of censorial motive. It was particularly used by the former government to restrain the growth of the press and suppress dissent.”

The media in The Gambia is constrained by undue tax burden. Media houses are required to pay a number of tax levies, including education tax, newspaper sales tax, advertising sales tax and income/value added tax. Heavy import duty is placed on printing materials.

“The Gambia Press Union has constantly been advocating for the review of the country’s tax regime as it applies to media. On May 3, 2017 – barely three months after the inauguration of the new government – the Union submitted to the government a Position Paper on Freedom of Expression, which among others called for review of the tax regime.”

The Union applauded the Newspaper Publishers Association for their constructive engagement with the government on the issue.