On the eve of Budget 2014, the DTH Operators Association and the MSO Alliance have joined hands with broadcasters to embark on an aggressive campaign to fight the heavy entertainment taxes levied on them by the various state governments.
The TV commercial which stars Roopal Tyagi (Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke) and Surbhi Jyoti (Qubool Hai) has been running across all channels. It makes an appeal to TV viewers to give support against rising entertainment taxes. It says that on an average a viewer spends approximately Rs 3000 on cable TV and DTH recharges annually. Almost half of this goes directly into the government's kitty by way of taxes. Therefore, there is a need to put an end to it.
Entertainment tax is a state subject and hence, varies from state to state. In some, it is a fixed amount while in others the state exchequer carves it out as a percentage of the bill.
The campaign is expected to run for a month in order to build a ground swell of public opinion against the entertainment tax levies. It seems to have got the Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar's attention already. Speaking to media recently he assured industry that "the government is looking into the demands of the DTH operators and that the issue is with the Ministry of Finance."
"Industry has high hopes in the new Modi-led government. For several years, it has been appealing to the previous government to reduce the burden but to no avail. High and multiple taxes have been crippling. Hopefully, the government will find a solution to this problems," says a media observer.
Source: http://cablequest.org/news/new-media/item/5432-cq-dth-operators-and-msos-seeks-tax-relief-from-fm.html
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