Thailand
Cambodia: Gov’t waives patent, license fees for online media
Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Saturday last week that the Royal Government of Cambodia will take the burden of patent payment instead of small online media outlets and reduce 50 percent of license fees for the establishment of new media outlets which would lower the revenue of the Ministry of Information.
Mr Hun Sen said there are 621 online media outlets or about 97 percent of the number of small media outlets in Cambodia. The tax and non-tax incentives were announced at an event in which he met about 5,000 Cambodian journalists and spokespersons of the government’s ministries and institutions held at Koh Pich Exhibition Centre.
Before the announcement, publishers or owners of new media outlets were required to pay 400,000 riels or $100 for a type of media license and 800,000 riels or $200 for another type of license, said the Premier, adding that the incentive would allow those outlets to pay 200,000 riels or $50 and 400,000 riels or $100 respectively, while the salary of the ministry’s officials has been raised.
“I help make the decision on this point … this is the revenue budget of the ministry that will be reduced from what it had received previously. So, the information ministry’s officials, please, do not feel upset as your salaries have been increased and the amount of this revenue is not big,” said Mr Hun Sen, adding that the decision would help mitigate financial hardships of online media outlets.
The decision to provide tax and non-tax incentives to small online media outlets and new media outlets were made by the Premier after he has advised by Aun Pornmoniroth, Minister of Economy and Finance. However, the new policy will not be valid if those small online media outlets are not legally registered with relevant government ministries and institutions.
“However, you have to work with the in-charge institutions to be registered with a proper license. You cannot open an outlet out of the laws and this is for big media outlets such televisions, radios and others that need to make full payment as this is small media outlets only,” said the Premier, adding that large-scale outlets may have about 100 employees.
Prime Minister Hun Sen went on to add that the decision was made without request from the Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith. The ministry will lose 50 percent of its revenue collected from media license fees that are paid by publishers or media outlet owners who apply for licenses to establish new online media outlets in Cambodia.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501219852/govt-waives-patent-license-fees-for-online-media/