Home video tax hike for cinema
Speaking before a special reception at the Matignon Palace for French and international film and audiovisual industry operators taking part in the annual Meeting organised by Unifrance, French prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin called for changes to the taxes levied on home video products.
If implemented, this reform should bring the French film industry an additional Euros30m to Euros40m annually. At present, the tax on the sale of VHS and DVD products is calculated on the wholesale price, Raffarin’s reform would mean it would be levied on the retail price. This move is a consequence of the growing popularity of the home video market, and the need to find a variety of funding sources for French film production.
Raffarin also made a heartfelt tribute to cinema which, he said, “has a special role to play because it is an area of creativity and represents the French way of life in the world”. He then suggested that “cinema be a part of and express itself in all major international events and in the French President’s travels”. Raffarin’s speech was applauded by an audience that included industry luminaries like Jeanne Moreau, Isabelle Huppert, Jean Rochefort, Régis Wargnier, Jacques Perrin and Claude Lelouch.
(Translated from French)
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