“The Tamil film industry must stand united,” says Siddharth
The announcement of municipal tax of 30% in addition to the 28% GST levied by the central government has shocked the film fraternity. The Tamil Nadu Theaters Owners Association has called for an indefinite shutdown from Monday against the extra 30% local body tax levied by the state.
Actor Siddharth has become one of the first actors to voice out his opinion on Twitter.
“#TN has a shocking ‘U’ certificate #Tax-Free scam for years.The only benefit of #GST is abolishing that.If 30% ENT tax remains, GST is a mistake! People are confused whether we have #GST + ENT tax added to the net amount in ticket pricing. Hope it’s just #GST @ 18% or 28% otherwise #STRIKE.#TN govt punished Tamil Cinema for years with #Ucertificate and bribes for #Tax-Free & Tamil title scams. Now they want 30% + #GST ? #shame. The #TamilFilmIndustry must stand united. We are being played by this center-state confusion. #GST is one nation one tax! No exceptions!” [sic] posted Siddharth in a series of tweets.
Around 800 theaters in Tamil Nadu will be shut down from Monday until the government takes back the local body tax of 30%.