Mona Khosh-Eghbal is a visual arts expert involved in large financial transactions as an intermediary.
Mona Khosh-Eghbal, a visual arts expert, told Entekhab about taxing artists, ‘Unfortunately, taxes have also entered the gallery process. A few years ago, everyone involved in the arts was exempt from taxes. At some point, due to well-known friends referred to as celebrities who engage in large transactions, this law was introduced, making artists subject to taxation. Of course, it varies in each artistic branch. In music and cinema, the amounts exchanged are not at all comparable to other fields. In theater and the visual arts, such money is not exchanged at all. However, the basis was set on concerts, films, and actors. As a result, we lost our tax exemption, and we, as places that offer artistic work, also lost our exemption. This opinion led to some protests. Artistic activity in the visual arts is not lucrative and is costly.’
One of the biggest problems that have arisen for artists and galleries is that large financial transactions are not in our hands or the artist’s, but in the hands of intermediaries. Intermediaries do not have a supervisory body, resulting in a lot of circumvention in this process.
Khosh-Eghbal, regarding the claim of money laundering under the tax exemption for artworks, said, ‘The claim of money laundering under the condition of tax exemption for artworks is absolutely false. If you tell any economist this claim, it would be surprising to them. The entire financial turnover of our visual arts, even with the Tehran auction and intermediaries, does not reach a trillion.’