Rajinikanth on GST: Double taxation on the Tamil Nadu film industry will affect many

Superstar Rajinikanth said Wednesday that the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to impose a 30 percent entertainment tax on the GST rate of 28 percent will affect the livelihoods of the Tamil film industry.
“Taking into account the livelihood of lakhs of the people in the Tamil film industry, I sincerely request the Tamil Nadu government to seriously consider our appeal,” Rajinikanth tweeted.
The tax rate disrupted the Tamil film industry, forcing the Tamil Nadu Film Chamber of Commerce to announce the closure of theaters on Monday and Tuesday.
Theaters across the state will remain closed Wednesday for the third consecutive day.
Members of the industry have urged the government of K. Palaniswami to eliminate the addition of entertainment taxes.
Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan said Monday that “making films in the state has been deliberately difficult.”
Reacting on taxation, Haasan said in a statement: “There is more systemic torture and corruption than the film industry has to endure under this regime.”
He noted that, aside from Tamil Nadu, other neighboring southern states have given up imposing additional taxes on film over the goods and services tax.
“In Kerala, the film industry asked CM Pinarayi Vijayan and he, through his Finance Minister, quickly announced that Kerala will not impose any more taxes on the movie business already run over,” he said.
“Karnataka has gone even further to facilitate the well-being of the film industry Telangana and Andhra are also doing their best for their film industries,” he added.