Francis Tetteh Nutakor expresses concerns about the future of producers, fearing that they may cease production due to what they perceive as excessive government levies and minimal returns.

Nutakor conveyed his apprehensions during an interview with Prince Benjamin (PB) on the entertainment segment of the Class Morning Show on Class 91.3 FM, aired on Thursday, December 21, 2023.

In his lamentation, Nutakor highlighted the oppressive impact of taxes on the theatre industry, emphasizing that despite substantial financial contributions, the sector receives insufficient support from the government.

He specifically pointed out the absence of tangible initiatives such as infrastructural development and capacity building, which are crucial for the growth and sustainability of the theatre community.

“We don’t know it all but if the government is taking 21 per cent [in taxes from us] and the next week you come to the theatre and there is some improvement in the AC condition, chairs, we’d then know that our taxes are being used for our sector. But we don’t see that,” Nutakor said.

Meanwhile, the officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) “are always at the gate,” he noted.

He claimed that at the production venues' gates, GRA representatives frequently get confused with ticket sellers and customers.

Nutakor said: “Sometimes, they come late and they go and count the people inside. There are a 1000 people in the venue and your tickets are selling at 150.

“They do the 21 per cent of the 150, and then they ask you to come and pay. And it’s huge money.

“The taxes are more expensive than the auditorium, the light, the set and, sometimes, the payment for the crew combined.

“So you’re paying for auditorium, you’re paying for light, you’re paying for sound, you’re paying for security. When you combine all these things, the tax you’re paying is even more than that.

“I’m telling you. You can pay taxes, probably 30,000 or 40,000, and you ask yourself: ‘What’s the point of all this?’”

Romanus Incomplete V, starring comic actor Foster Romanus, is the most recent work by Francis T. Nutakor.