Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said Wednesday the government plans to impose higher taxes on foreign content as the local film and drama industry had taken a hit due to it.
Addressing a press conference after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Information Ministry, Pakistan Television, and the Arts Council of Pakistan regarding National Entertainment Awards, Chaudhry said the government had finalised a new film policy through which it aims to incentivise the industry.
Chaudhry said in the new policy, the government had proposed the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) charge higher tax if a channel is airing foreign dramas so that they should not be cheaper than local ones.
“Our television channels have made it a norm to import foreign dramas, which is comparatively cheaper than the local ones, and as a result, our local dramas have suffered a huge blow,” he said.
“Foreign actors are being hired for advertisements; our actors are remaining unemployed — and without any reason — foreign actors are being hired,” he said.
Regretting that major companies ignore local talent for their advertisements, the information minister said that the government would also impose heavy taxes on such ads — to pave way for Pakistani artists.
