Kamal Hasaan supports reduction in entertainment tax

Chennai: Popular actor Kamal Haasan Monday pitched for reduction in entertainment tax levied on films saying there should be no second thoughts about it in order to keep the industry healthy.

"It should be reduced...there is no second thoughts about it. People like me who do not have any political lineage and those who want the industry to thrive will ask for the same...," the four-time national award winner and Tamil film icon told reporters here. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni had recently said that the entertainment tax structure will be relaxed after it is brought under common head in central taxes. "Indian filmmakers are complaining of the high rate of entertainment tax. Central government is trying to bring entertainment tax under one head as GST," she had said. Asked about lack of finance for films, Haasan, also chairman of industry body, FICCI Media and Entertainment Business Conclave, said there was a need to fine tune various issues particularly how you repay loans obtained for a film. "The main reason why we talk about film financing is all those finance methodologies that come into play including legal and illegal and involvement of underworld money. "Underworld has a chance to enter an industry like this, because they are looking to finance and proper entities (financial institutions) were not looking into it," he said. Even poultry farmers had a better chance of financing movies than filmmakers, he said sarcastically. He said the film industry and FICCI were working on how to address the issue of funding for movies. The third edition of two-day conference of the Media and Entertainment Business Conclave with the theme "Embracing The Digital World" would be conducted on December 1 and 2 here. Censor Board, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and those from the film industry would participate, he said. Issues that would be discussed would include educating the stakeholders about their rights in the industry. "There is a the Copyright Competition Commission. It will helps artists, directors and all stake holders be aware about their rights in film industry...," he said. PTI