Bistek bats for tax relief for entertainment industry
Senatorial candidate Herbert “Bistek” Bautista is batting for a tax relief program for the entertainment industry, noting how entertainers have suffered from loss of income during the pandemic.
“What we can do in the short term maybe is to lower their taxes or even waive it,” said Bautista, a former actor, at a forum for senatorial candidates on CNN Philippines.
He said many bars and comedy clubs were driven to the verge of closure by the pandemic, when movement restrictions prevented people from patronizing these venues of entertainment.
He said he had been discussing with some legislators the proposed Creative Industries Act, which would bring long-term benefits to the Philippine entertainment industry.
He said while there have been subsidies for displaced performers under the Bayanihan 2 Act, which provided for relief for the economic impact of the pandemic, these were just bandaid solutions that do not have long-term benefits.
Bautista, who promoted the arts as mayor of Quezon City for three terms, said if the proposed Creative Industry Act is enacted, it would benefit not just individual entertainers but the entire Philippine entertainment industry.
