LAHORE, May 22: The Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association urged the government on Saturday to exempt all cinema houses in the province from entertainment tax for at least five years in view of the poor condition of the film industry.

In a letter sent to the government, the association maintained that out of the total 385 cinema houses only 140 were functioning at present. They too were on the verge of closure because of the indifferent attitude of the government towards the issues of piracy, illegal cable channels and VCR/DVD/CD shops. Low production of Pakistani films was another factor.

It said the amount of the entertainment tax was too meagre for the government but it was huge for the cinema owners. Its exemption would make even the owners of the closed cinemas to restart their businesses.

The government should exempt the cinemas from its payment for a minimum period of five years for saving the industry from becoming a history.