KUALA LUMPUR – The Housing and Local Government Ministry will act as a facilitator between creative industry activists and the state governments in connection with the entertainment tax issue.
Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the ministry would try to help industry players because the entertainment tax is within the jurisdiction of the state authorities.
In an official Facebook post, he said he was aware of industry players’ concerns and complaints on the issue, adding that he understood it was not easy to produce quality works that best meet the needs of the audience.
He said he had also met famed film producer and director Datuk Yusof Haslam and Abdul Rahman Mat Dali, the owner of Studio Kembara and producer of the Mat Kilau film, to discuss the growth of the country’s creative industry as well as Mat Kilau’s success at the box office.
Art activists have raised complaints about the steep 25% entertainment tax imposed on industry players, including film producers, and many are demanding that the rate be reduced or channelled back to the creative industry.
The issue was raised following Mat Kilau’s success in collecting RM71 million after 19 days of screenings, making history as the highest grossing local film to date. – Bernama, July 14, 2022
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