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Zimbabwe’s New Digital Tax Set to Impact Bolt, inDrive, and Starlink
Zimbabwe’s new digital tax is set to shake up services like Bolt, inDrive, and Starlink in a big way. The government has introduced this tax as part of the 2026 National Budget, aiming to modernise how the country taxes the booming online economy. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced this Digital Services Withholding Tax on Thursday during his budget presentation to Parliament. This tax will replace the VAT on global tech services imported into Zimbabwe and will be collected straight from banks and other payment agents before any money leaves the country.
This means any payments to offshore digital companies will now be taxed, with e-hailing platforms like Bolt and inDrive likely feeling the impact first. While the exact tax rate hasn’t been made public yet, experts suggest this could lead to higher ride fares, as these companies might pass the extra cost onto users. Similarly, people using online streaming or satellite internet providers such as Starlink may also see their bills go up.
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Minister Ncube defended the change by saying it’s all about fairness. He pointed out that Zimbabwe needs to get its fair share from global digital platforms making money from local users. “The digital economy has grown faster than our tax rules could keep up with, and now we’re closing that gap,” he explained. It’s not about targeting consumers but making sure that foreign companies benefiting from Zimbabwean markets contribute just like local businesses do.
Alongside this digital tax, the 2026 Budget also made some significant changes to mobile money taxes. For example, the tax on local currency mobile payments, known as the Intermediated Money Transfer Tax (IMTT), will drop from 2% down to 1.5%. This move is designed to encourage more people to use Zimbabwe’s local ZiG currency. Popular platforms like EcoCash, OneMoney, Paynow, and bank transfers will all benefit from this reduction.
To balance out the lower IMTT revenue, the budget includes a slight VAT hike, from 15% to 15.5%, starting January 2026. This means that prices for goods and services across Zimbabwe could creep up a bit.
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The broader financial outlook from the budget looks hopeful, with the economy expected to grow by 6.6% in 2025. The fiscal deficit is predicted to narrow to about $105.9 million (ZiG3.2 billion), and there’s a forecast for an increased current account surplus of around US$1.4 billion in 2026.
So, Zimbabwe’s new digital tax is going to impact Bolt, inDrive, and Starlink directly, with users likely noticing small increases in prices. At the same time, local mobile money payments could get cheaper thanks to the IMTT cut on ZiG currency transactions. This tax shake-up marks a new chapter for Zimbabwe’s growing digital economy as it adapts to the global digital age.
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