8 June 2026 By Ko Myo
KANI, Myanmar — The opposition National Unity Government (NUG) has begun levying heavy taxes on Starlink satellite internet outlets within its resistance-controlled territory in Kani Township, Sagaing Region. The abrupt economic mandate has triggered immediate friction among local business owners and war-torn communities who rely on the network as their sole remaining window to the outside world.
According to local operators, the Kani Township Emergency Administration (Central)—operating under the NUG—summoned dozens of Starlink vendors from both the eastern and western banks of the Chindwin River for an emergency meeting on Monday, 8 June. During the assembly, officials summarily enforced a flat tax of 500,000 Myanmar Kyat (MMK) per main Starlink satellite terminal for every six-month period, refusing to allow any structural counter-proposals or adjustments from shop owners.
The new regulation also dictates retail pricing, mandating a fixed daily user rate of 5,000 MMK for ordinary citizens seeking all-day internet access.
“The administration completely blocked any form of negotiation; the 500,000 MMK fee for six months is entirely non-negotiable,” a prominent Starlink shop owner told MPA under anonymity. “Previously, customers paid a flexible rate between 2,000 to 3,000 MMK for an entire day, or roughly 500 to 1,000 MMK per hour depending on the connection speed. On top of this local tax, we already have to pay a steep monthly subscription fee of around 400,000 MMK directly to the Starlink company, which fluctuates wildly alongside the US dollar exchange rate. With this secondary tax piled on, our business model is no longer financially viable.”
The business owner emphasized that the NUG failed to conduct proper market assessments before enforcing the levies. “Nobody is arguing against the principle of taxation, but they need to evaluate the actual profit margins and the fragile economic status of the consumers first,” he added. “In some rural villages, there are already two or three competing Starlink stations, meaning the customer pool is very small.”
The scope of the tax net is remarkably broad. It targets not only independent civilian businesses but also Starlink stations established by local defense teams, public education cells, and emergency healthcare units that operate the terminals to raise charity funds for internal refugees. The only terminals officially exempt from the mandate are those utilized exclusively for active military operations by frontline resistance battalions.
According to structural documents, the Kani Township Emergency Administration will manage the tax revenue collection for the current six-month term. Following this initial cycle, administrative authority over telecom taxation will be formally transferred to the regional Interim Sagaing Federal Unit Government.
Kani Township has remained entirely cut off from regular state-controlled fiber optics and cellular networks since the military junta weaponized total digital blackouts to disrupt resistance communications across northwestern Myanmar. By turning to global satellite providers like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, local populations had successfully circumvented the regime’s information blockade.
However, as opposition administrative organs begin transforming into centralized fiscal authorities, critics warn that rigid taxation policies targeting emergency infrastructure risk alienating the civilian population, who already shoulder the severe economic brunt of a protracted civil conflict.
The Kani Township Administration’s Information Department has consistently withheld a formal response regarding the public backlash when contacted by MPA.
