Portuguese pay-TV refuse ‘creative tax’
August 13, 2013
The five major Portuguese pay-TV operators have refused to pay the government about €12.5 million due as the new annual fee established by the Law on Cinema and the Audiovisual Sector.
Two of them, Zon and Optimus, informed the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA) that they would not pay this contribution, said to be essential for the financing of the ICA and for supporting the production, exhibition and distribution of films in Portugal.
For his part, the Secretary of State for Culture said that he hopes “that all stakeholders in this process will realise their responsibility” and stressed that “the regulations are not optional.”At stake is the annual fee charged to pay-TV operators of €3.50 per new subscriber.
The deadline for payment expired on 31 July and, according to the Association of Cinema and Audiovisual Producers (APCA), Zon has not paid €6.3 million, Portugal Telecom (Meo) also failed to pay €4.7 million, Cabovisão owes €1 million, while Vodafone and Optimus owe €166,000 and €148,000, respectively.