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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 16:44

Latvia: Culture Ministry proposes to revise regulations on advertising market, launch discussions on digital tax

BC, Riga, 26.11.2019.Print version
The Culture Ministry proposes to revise regulations on advertising market so that media that create local contents may increase their revenue from advertising, the ministry's spokeswoman Lita Kokale reported.

Responding to the request of Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity), the Culture Ministry proposes not only to revise the regulation of the advertising market, but also to look for technologically neutral solutions and start discussions on the so-called digital tax.


The ministry proposes to strengthen public media and complete their exit from the advertising market, providing the necessary financing, and provide support to printed press and delivery of printed press.


Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis (National Alliance) said that media policy should be an important area in state policy as a strong informative environment is closely related with the state security.


The Culture Ministry believes that it is necessary to create such regulation on the advertising market that meets the requirements of the changing media environment and ensures equal competition in the local market, allowing those developing local contents compete with global market players.


In order to successfully promote development of public media, the Culture Ministry insists on development of a single public medium, merging the public television with the public radio and their internet portal lsm.lv. The ministry noted that this position is also supported by the National Electronic Mass Media Council.


The Culture Ministry said that next year the public media will start gradually leaving the advertising market. In 2021 the Latvian public television and public radio will completely leave the advertising market, therefore it is important to earmark the necessary funding in the budget - EUR 13,844,411.


The ministry pointed at the necessity to introduce legislative amendments in order to prevent outflow of advertising to mass media registered abroad and to ensure technologically neutral and balanced advertising regulation for radio, television and internet.


The ministry and the sector have agreed on starting talks about the so-called digital tax in this respect.






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