CHENNAI: As the multiplexes PVR and Inox downed their shutters on Tuesday protesting the 10 per cent entertainment tax imposed by Chennai Corporation, theatre owners of Chennai city will meet here on Wednesday to discuss their next course of action on the “double-taxation” policy of the government that leads to an additional tax being imposed on top of GST.
PVR and Inox, which own nearly 30 screens in the city, went on a strike protesting against the move by municipal corporations to levy 10 per cent entertainment tax on cinema tickets. The multiplexes say they are against the newly imposed tax since they already pay Goods and Services Tax (GST) for every ticket sold.
Theatre owners fear the “double-taxation” would come as a double blow to them since they are already incurring losses after the implementation of GST. “We are dead against double-taxation and we don’t want to incur further losses from the business,” a theatre owner said.
As speculation mounted whether the strike would continue till Deepavali as the festival is just a fortnight away, theatre owners from the city will meet on Wednesday morning to discuss their next course of action on the double-taxation method.
“We will discuss the ways and means to protest double-taxation and how to take up the issue with the state government. We will definitely oppose the move,” another theatre owner said. If that happens, the owners said they wouldn’t be able to continue their strike for long and not certainly till the festival, which is on October 17 /18.
