Director-general of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Adedayo Thomas has said the Lagos State Films and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) did not brief its supervising commissioner before announcing a proposed 5% levy on content producers.
Mr Thomas stated this on Thursday during a stakeholders engagement on double taxation and over-regulation in Lagos.
Executive secretary of LSFVCB Bamidele Balogun recently announced a 30-day notice for content producers to duly register their contents with the agency.
Mr Balogun added that “all audio and visual contents produced and sold within Lagos State shall attract the payment of 5% levy on each item.”
Following the public outcry against the proposed levy, Adedayo said he reached out to the Lagos State commissioner for tourism, arts and culture Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, whose ministry supervises the LSFVCB.
“We are all aware of the recent release by the LSFVCB demanding that all creators should register their content within 30 days with five per cent levy charge.
“Due to the quake generated by aggrieved practitioners, the leadership of the Lagos board has requested for calm, pending the release of a comprehensive policy document or statement.
“I have reached out to the state commissioner for tourism, arts and culture, who seems not to have been briefed as the head of the supervisory ministry of LSFVCB by the management of the Lagos board before issuing the statement.
“She was categorical on her position and promised to take necessary action.
“Also, the leadership of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) whom the management hung to, in order to give credence to the policy directive, has come out to debunk the endorsement of the issued statement,” Thomas said.
He said that the burning issues of multiple taxation and over-regulation which LSFVCB’s 5% tax brought to the fore were not representative of the ease of doing business policy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
