"Next year we will start allocating a budget for subsidizing national film production. Good films which are full of messages for national character building will be subsidized," Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said here on Tuesday.
He said he would soon set up a team to select and determine the criteria for films to be subsidized so that production of such films would increase in terms of quality.
He said the team was also expected to be able to carry out its task well so that the subsidy to be given would meet the right targets.
"Some of the criteria include that the films must contain messages that instill love to the nation, raise patriotism and national defense. This is important because films like that would have a strong effect on national character building," he said.
The minister said he would also seek to give a fiscal incentive in the form of tax reduction for national film production.
"We will propose a zero percent tax for national film production," he said.
The government recently gave a zero percent tax on film raw materials.
Indonesia`s national film production has reached 100 titles a year and is expected to keep risng to reach 200 by 2014 to equal the number of imported films.
Wacik said the government through the ministry of finance is now still calculating the amount of tax for national film production. It is also still calculating the right tax for imported films, he said.
"Right now the government is still studying the tax for imported films. What is clear is that imported films will remain being shown but the tax for them will be made fairer," he said.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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