KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — All entertainment outlets in Kuala Lumpur will be exempted from taxes until the end of next year.

Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the move was to help the worst-hit industry recover from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns in Malaysia.

“All duty and taxes for entertainment outlets will be exempt, including theme parks and cinemas in Kuala Lumpur.

“This exemption will last till December 31, 2022.

“All states are urged to follow suit and provide the operators with the same tax exemptions to help the industry recover,” he said when tabling Budget 2021 in Parliament today.

Cinemas and entertainment outlets such as karaoke bars, pubs and nightclubs and theme parks have been closed since the pandemic hit two years ago.

The subsequent lockdowns precipitated by the third and fourth wave of Covid-19 cases caused the industry to continue to suffer during the pandemic.

In mid-September cinemas as well as pubs and bars in the Klang Valley reopened under strict SOPs.