The Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Alhaji Adedayo Thomas on Tuesday said his agency will ensure that all digital streamers pay tax to the federal government.
While adding that, Nigeria is not a dumping ground for digital or streaming services. saying , you must be accountable to the government.
He said, “You can come in, we have conducive environment for business to strive but you cannot cheat the government, if you think you want to do bypass because you are a cloud person who sold content to you is a Nigerian, we must force him to collect the tax that you are suppose to pay this country.
Adedayo made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, saying , if any Nigerian sell content to Nitflix, goggle, YouTube and others without going through the NFVCB they are aiding and abetting, if you act in such films you have a face and you must tell us the producers or director that contacted and paid you.
According to him,” We have to strengthen and equip ourselves in the new ways unscrupulous elements thinks they can shortchange the owners of the job and the federal government.
” With the streamers, on cloud, online issues coming up, we have strengthen our staff to monitor, enforce and arrest any erring members.
” Netflix is in the cloud and their is a face to it, yet they collect our jobs, then I started discussion with them that they need to face the stakeholders if not they will not get it right in Nigeria, we have to stop them from selling their content. With the dialogue, what I saw about Netflix is this, of all the streamers, goggle, YouTube, they are not willing to dialogue with the government. The public policy desk of Netflix is fantastic, we were able to push until they were brought into this country to come and address stakeholders on digital content and how they aquire it.
“We just have to think outside the box because it was not in our budget for 2021 , but as an evolution that is rolling faster than us, so we need to bring everybody together in terms of public, policy, discussion and dialogue. Who are ready to follow the steps, I will give it to Netflix, DSTV complied largely by not collecting fixed certificates”, he explained.
