Local movie industry, tax-free ng 3 years

Suspendido ang collection ng amusement tax para sa pagpapalabas ng mga lokal na pelikula sa Metro Manila sa susunod na tatlong taon. Ito ay matapos ang isang resolusyon ng Metro Manila Council. Nakasaad sa resolusyon na ang pagpataw ng amusement tax sa mga pelikulang Pilipino “adds a financial burden to local film producers, potentially affecting the sustainability of the Filipino film industry.”

Sinabi ni MMDA Acting Chairman and Metro Manila Film Festival Overall Concurrent Chairman Atty. Don Artes na ang resolusyon ay kailangan sundin ng bawat local government unit sa Metro Manila para matulungan ang industriya ng pelikula.

Sa ginanap na Metro Manila Council meeting noong Wednesday, sinabi ni direk Jose Javier Reyes ng Film Development Council of the Philippines na ang kalagayan ng Philippine film industry ay lubhang nakakalungkot.

“A producer needs to pay three types of taxes for each film including 10% amusement taxes together with other taxes such as Value Added Tax and Income Tax, making us the most heavily-taxed movie industry in the world,” he explained, emphasizing that the three-year moratorium of amusement tax will mean survival for the industry. Local movie industry players have voiced out this concern to Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Atty. Benhur Abalos during the screening of the inaugural Manila International Film Festival held early last January.

The moratorium on the imposition of amusement taxes excludes the period of the MMFF which is from Dec. 25 of every year until Jan. 7 of the following year. Amusement taxes during the said period are waived by LGUs of Metro Manila in favor and in support of MMFF beneficiaries such as Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund), the Film Academy of the Philippines, the Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council, the Optical Media Board, and the FDCP.

At least, ito na. Pero ang problema ay walang masyadong nanonood ng pelikula. At kung wala rin namang kita ang pelikula paano sila makakaligtas sa tax?