The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has officially announced the implementation of the Blank Tape Levy.
In a statement on September 11, KECOBO said that the Blank Tape Levy will come into effect from September 15, 2023.
The Blank Tape Levy is a fee collected on items that have the potential to be used for private copying of copyright-protected content.
It is a special tax or levy charged on purchases of recordable media such as mobile phones, CDs, DVDs, USB drives and the like.
These fees will be payable at two key points: at the point of entry into Kenya for imported goods and at the point of the initial local manufacture of such items.
The purpose of the blank tape levy is to compensate creators, performers, and record producers for the private copying of their protected works on analogue and digital phonograms, audiovisual, and other data carriers.
The income generated from this tax is typically allocated to the developers of "content" to compensate them for potential revenue lost when individuals make private copies of their works.
The Music Copyright Society of Kenya plans to use part of the money raised through the Blank Tape Levy to enroll musicians into NHIF.
MCSK is looking to collect about Sh6 billion annually from the blank tape levy.
Sports CS Ababu Namwamba has also previously spoken about the levy, saying it will be used to support musicians and creatives.
"We are revamping the exercise of royalties collection because that is where the problem is. We are implementing a digital system that will help us collect the royalties digitally," Namwamba said in an interview in August.
Many Kenyans fear that the levy will drive up the cost of the affected items.
Below is a breakdown of the Blank Tape Levy
| Item description | Levy |
| Computer external hard drives | Sh300 |
| Audio recorders and video recorders | 4% of cost price net of taxes |
| Personal laptops, computers, mobile phones, smart watches | 1.5% of purchase price net Taxes |
| Game consoles, media box, minidisc, compact flash, memories, memory stick, smart media memory cards, portable hard disc (external), ZIP drive, data, USB Flash disk | Sh200 |
| Audio recorders and video recorders | 4% of cost price net of taxes |
| Photocopying machine, printing plates, printers/printing machines | 2% of purchase price net of taxes |
| Television with HD recorder, DVD-HD recorder, Video-HD recorder (cameras), Digital recorders (MP3, I-pods, MP4, etc.) | Sh100 |
| Photocopy/printing paper per ream | Sh20 |
| VHS recorders, digital receiver with HD (PVR), hard drive media players, Blu-Ray recorder external, digital camcorders, digital cameras with SD cards, digital recorders for IPTV and VOD services | 5% of purchase price net of taxes |
| Audiocassette, audiocassette minidisc, audio-CD-R/RW | Sh5 |
| Video cassettes (VHS, Hi8, Mini DV, Video8) | Sh5 |
| DVD-R, DVD+ RW, DVD+ R, DVD + RAM, DVC, mini DVD, Blu-Ray disk, PC diskettes, DDS tapes, Travan disc; CD-R, CD-RW | Sh10 |
| DVD writer external (PC), CD-ROM recorder external (PC); and any other recording device for audio-CD R/RW whether or not integrated with a hard disc | 3% of cost price net of taxes |
|---|---|
| Modulators, decoders/signal receivers, digital jukeboxes | 3% of purchase price net of taxes |