Showbiz industry opposes tax scrap on foreign content

Faysal Quraishi and ACT warn the proposed tax changes could threaten jobs and livelihoods across the industry.

Three of Pakistan’s most prominent representative bodies for the entertainment industry, the United Producers Association, Actors Collective Pakistan and the Directors Guild Pakistan, have locked horns with the government over the Finance Bill 2026 to 2027.
In a joint press release issued on June 22, the three bodies expressed concern over the government’s plan to withdraw the advance tax on imported foreign television plays and advertisements, warning that the move could dismantle a decade’s worth of local industry rehabilitation. The statement said Pakistan’s creative economy supports thousands of professionals and their families across television, film, digital media, advertising, music, animation, post production and allied sectors, and that this ecosystem cannot be allowed to be undermined.
Several on screen names also spoke out against the move on social media. Actor Faysal Quraishi released a collaborative video with ACT warning that rolling back the tax would trigger immediate job losses across the board, saying the livelihoods of thousands, from actors to technical crew, hang in the balance.
Actor Laila Zuberi said that while she remains grateful for past government initiatives that helped the industry grow, the current bill is deeply disappointing. She argued that removing the advance tax on foreign advertisements and dramas would mainly benefit corporate business interests, warning that a handful of businessmen could easily buy and air foreign content, triggering a catastrophic wave of unemployment for local production crews left without platforms to showcase their work.
Director and actor Shamoon Abbasi recalled how long it took the industry to recover from a similar situation in the past, noting that it took Pakistan a decade to re-establish its drama industry after a previous surge in foreign content. He warned that bringing foreign content back into the country would once again hurt actors, producers, directors and writers.
Actor Hina Khawaja Bayat offered a broader economic perspective, pointing out that the real revenue opportunity lies in exporting Pakistani entertainment to large international markets such as South Africa and Vietnam, where local dramas already have a built in fanbase. She said the country needs jobs for its own people right now, and questioned why the government would consider replacing local content when the industry should instead be leveraging its dramas as export commodities to generate foreign exchange. She called on the government to prioritise local content over imports so the industry can grow independently rather than regress.
Actor Tazeen Hussain also took to Instagram to appeal for the cause.
The UPA, ACT and DGP have formally presented a four point mandate to the prime minister, finance minister, information minister, the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue and members of parliament, calling for an immediate suspension of the tax withdrawal pending transparent stakeholder dialogue. The bodies are also demanding a roundtable meeting with industry representatives to conduct an in depth review of the financial damage the bill could cause to local workers, along with the establishment of a permanent, long term national policy framework to protect indigenous art.