Pakistan’s entertainment industry has strongly opposed a government plan to remove the advance tax on imported foreign TV dramas and advertisements. Three major industry bodies, the United Producers Association (UPA), Actors Collective Pakistan (ACT), and the Directors Guild Pakistan (DGP), issued a joint statement on June 22, warning that scrapping the tax under the Finance Bill 2026–27 could undo a decade of progress made by the local drama industry.
The statement said Pakistan’s creative economy supports thousands of workers across TV, film, digital media, advertising, music, and related fields, and this system should not be put at risk.
Several well-known actors also spoke out on social media. Faysal Quraishi warned that the move could cause sudden job losses for actors and crew members alike. Laila Zuberi said removing the tax would mainly benefit big businesses that import foreign content, leaving local production teams without work. Director Shamoon Abbasi recalled that it took Pakistan ten years to rebuild its drama industry after a similar wave of foreign content earlier, and feared history could repeat itself.
Actor Hina Khawaja Bayat took a different angle, saying Pakistan should instead focus on exporting its own dramas to countries like South Africa and Vietnam, where local content already has fans.
The three industry bodies have submitted a four-point demand to top government officials, asking for an immediate halt on the tax removal until proper discussions are held with industry representatives, along with a long-term policy to protect local content.
