The film industry, mainly the theatre business, was badly hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a move to help the industry in the state, the Kerala government on Monday exempted cinema theatres from paying entertainment tax in Kerala till March this year.
The Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Tweet that theatres have been exempted from paying entertainment tax in the state from January to March 2021 along with 50 per cent reduction in the fixed charges on electricity during the lockdown period since March last year.
“Exempted cinema theatres from entertainment tax from Jan to Mar(2021). Fixed electricity charges reduced by 50% for the 10 months during when theatres were closed. The validity of various licenses extended. Our creative industries will play a crucial part in the recovery,” he wrote on the microblogging site.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Film Chamber Of Commerce thanked CM Pinarayi Vijayan for the decision and accepting all the demands with record speed. On the other hand, there is no certainty yet on whether the Goods and Services Tax on movie tickets has been lessened or not.