Cultural revolutions always precede economic change – hence the importance of culture in society. Artists have had the greatest impact during historical turbulence; sometimes the effect of a painting to convey a message is equal to that of a long lecture, Ali Tayyebnia minister of economic affairs and finance said at a meeting with cultural authorities and members of the media on Monday.
This was Tayyebnia’s first meeting to address economic problems facing different cultural fields today. Several government officials, including the deputy of Artistic Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Moradkhani, head of Iran Organization of Cinema and Audiovisual Affairs Hojatollah Ayoubi, financial advisor to the minister of culture and the directors of the Houses of Cinema and Theater were present at the meeting, reported Honaronline.
The minister emphasized that achieving lasting economic growth is impossible without cultural prerequisites and said “the first step is to inculcate a positive belief about income earning, work and capital in the society.” He expressed regret that there are still negative beliefs about entrepreneurs and business people.
Tayyebnia said there is a strategic plan to promote “entrepreneurship and wealth creation at the ministry of finance, but that requires the participation of cultural personalities and artists.”
Tax Exemption
He stressed the need “to make cultural activities profitable” and said while members of the media are exempted from paying income tax, Value-Added Tax “cannot be done away with since it is on the commodity and not its buyer.”
The ministry is vigorously pursuing the issue of comprehensive tax reform, he said, and in the current situation, they would continue to grant tax exemption for cultural activities. Even income from classified advertising in newspapers is tax-free, he pointed out.
He hoped that with the “imminent cultural and economic boom in the country” there would no longer be any need for such exemptions.
Earlier, Moradkhani said, “despite all the previous meetings, there are still many unresolved issues regarding taxation in cultural spheres as well as some basic concepts in cultural economics.” He expressed hope that the meeting would resolve the issues in the publishing industry, cinema and the press.
