President grants tax relief to TV and Ad firms

by Lionel Yodhasinghe

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday directed Finance Ministry Secretary P. B. Jayasundere to grant tax relief to different electronic media institutions and advertising firms with effect from Monday.

He took this decision in response to the representation made by officials of television channels, advertising firms and artists' groups when they met the President Rajapaksa at Temple trees seeking redress to the recently imposed broadcasting levy on dubbed foreign films and advertisements.

The President also said that he would appoint a special committee to study the current composition of different television channels, and recommend a permanent policy on the country's telecasting pattern agreeable to all parties in state and private sector television business.

He proposed all the stake holders in the industry to meet without delay and have a preliminary dialogue on the issue to reach common consensus and make combined submissions to the proposed committee to enable the Government to redress the current grievances of the television and advertising companies. Such submissions would also serve the Government's effort to form a national policy on the television broadcasting in the country which is also the need of the hour.

"Crisis in this nature would not rise when all the stake holders work on a common agenda, and your duty is to compromise on such an agenda through dialogue" President said.

He said that individual stations could apply their specific strategies to face the competition but the ultimate goal of all should be one, the service to the nation. Referring to certain popular tele-dramas, President Rajapaksa said that cheap imports have been made popular by those particular stations thereby instilling wrong values in our society.

He said that the Government has no intention to shun any media but it has a great responsibility to protect the values of the society, culture and local artists therefore it is compelled to take actions to stop deterrent forces trying to ruin the society.

Media Minster Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that all electronic media institutions should follow the regulations coming under the Rupavahini Act but the Government has failed to take any legal actions against the errant parties yet due to certain loop holes in the process.