SHAH ALAM – Selangor is poised to re-evaluate the entertainment tax on sports events within the state.
While the state had previously reduced the entertainment duty from 25% to 5% for movie, theme park and concert tickets effective from January 1, 2022, until December 31, 2026, sporting events were initially excluded from this adjustment.
During the presentation of Budget 2024 in October, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a reduction in the entertainment duty for sporting events in the federal territories to 10%, starting from January 1.
Selangor Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneurship exco Mohd Najwan Halimi said the state government was open to discussing revisions to the entertainment tax rate if deemed necessary.
“We are aware of the public’s cry on this issue, and if required, we will bring it to the state-government level to study and discuss the best mechanisms for revising the entertainment tax.
“Entertainment tax involves many branches and it is not only focused on entertainment events only, but cinemas, concerts and even theme parks are taxed.
“At the state-government level, we will try to coordinate it from time to time. For now, what steps the federal level has made will be one of the benchmarks for us.
“As we know the entertainment industry generates a lot of income for the state and also the country – which includes sporting events – we aim to promote sports in Selangor and position it as a tourism attraction,” he said at the launching ceremony for the Badminton Asia Team Championships here today.
Najwan also said that any changes to the entertainment duty would be officially announced by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. – January 18, 2024