Rapper Altimet wants entertainment industry to hit at least 6% of country's GDP

SHAH ALAM - Celebrity politician Altimet has been pushing for temporary entertainment tax exemption to uplift the ailing industry since pandemic hit Malaysian shores.

Every political party, he said should look at ways to assist the local entertainment industry along with other industries.

“The government, the private sector, consumers and the people in the industry all have a role to play and to put it in more ‘hip’ terms, team work is the only way to achieve the dreams we want,” he told Sinar Daily's Politically Frank.

“One of the biggest revenue streams for the entertainment industry is being affected by the pandemic. How can it be boosted? The faster we move on to the endemic phase I think there is a lot of catching up to do,” he said.

Commenting further, Altimet, who recently contested in PKR’s poll for Ampang branch said cultural shift is needed with government taking into consideration of retirement planning and management of intellectual property of industry players.

He said the creative industry contributes about 2 per cent of gross domectic product (GDP) while in developed countries, it is about 6 to 8 per cent. If we can get to a point where our creative industry can reach to 6 to 8 percent of our GDP, that would be great.

The 43-year old said Malaysia is able to achieve it due to the advancement in information and technology, internet and remote working.