Lelo for Georgia party proposes tax exemption for all media outlets

The Lelo for Georgia party has proposed a tax exemption for all media outlets for three years.

Lelo member Saba Buadze said that amid the difficult economic situation caused by Covid-19, advertising revenues have significantly fallen in the country.

The need for the initiative has also been on the agenda since PM Irakli Garibashvili stated that gambling ads on TV will be banned in Georgia… Lelo demanded the regulation of gambling before the last parliamentary elections. But here we see that the gov’t has a very clear political goal of creating financial discomfort for the media and harassing critical media”, said Buadze.

Buadze also noted that the Georgian government does not really want to regulate gambling.

He [PM Garibashvili] promised to create casinos in several cities, including Gonio, before the elections. This summer PM Garibashvili exempted several casinos from taxes and halved fees for casinos located in Tbilisi. This once again confirms the double standard and impudence that characterizes the government and proves that the Georgian Dream does not really want to regulate gambling, but they [the GD] want to influence the media through gambling”, said Buadze.

• What are the new governmental regulations for the gambling business?

According to the amendments proposed by the country’s Finance Ministry, the lower age limit for gamblers will increase to 25 years of age.

Gambling ads on TV, on Georgian websites, as well as outdoors will be banned. Only sponsorship agreements will be allowed starting 2022.