Vol. 571 No. 1
148 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Finance if he is considering the abolition of section 481 tax relief for film-making; if his attention has been drawn to concerns expressed at the impact of such a move on employment in the film industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20745/03]
166 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Finance if he has had discussions on the proposed curtailment of tax relief for the film industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20880/03]
172 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Finance if he will suspend the termination date for film relief under section 481 as announced in the budget on 4 December 2002 and extend it for at least ten years to 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21013/03]
188 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Finance if reconsideration is being given to extending the use of section 481 of the Finance Act. [20949/03]
340 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to discontinue section 481 tax reliefs for the film industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19624/03]
372 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the concern, within the Irish televisual industry, regarding the proposal to terminate section 481 of the Finance Act, which will remove tax incentive supports for the production of films here; if he has received representations from the industry and from the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism who has stated publicly that he is convinced of the economic benefits of section 481; if section 481 will be retained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20509/03]
374 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if it is his intention to retain the section 481 scheme for film-makers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20536/03]
384 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Finance his views on the retention of the section 481 tax incentive for film making in view of the significant economic benefits arising from film making here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21035/03]
387 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider providing a ten year extension to section 481 in the film industry to create a stable environment and attract potential investors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21154/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 148, 166, 172, 188, 340, 372, 374, 384 and 387 together.
Tax relief for the film industry was first introduced in 1984 under the BES scheme and has continued in various forms for the past 19 years. This makes it one of the longest running sector specific tax reliefs in the economy and has seen an Exchequer contribution in terms of tax foregone of the order of some €265million in the last ten years alone. It should be noted that this relief has continued over time against a backdrop of the widening of the tax base and the reduction of rates generally. In Budget 2003, I referred to the generally accepted principle that such reliefs narrow the tax base and that a widened tax base is the price that must be paid to retain the current low tax rates. Consequently, all tax reliefs must be subject to ongoing review. In that context I announced in the budget that a number of these reliefs across a range of sectors including film relief would not be extended beyond 31 December 2004.
