BHOPAL: Get ready to shell out more for cinema, music concerts and theatre among others sources of entertainment. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) council on Thursday passed a resolution to levy additional cess of 15% as entertainment tax . This would be in addition to 18% GST on cinema tickets of less than Rs 100 and 28% on tickets of Rs 100 or more. Since, tickets in multiplexes and cineplexes are more than Rs 100 in most cases, total tax on cinema ticket would go up to 43%.Cess on cable TV subscription has been postponed, said BMC mayor Alok Sharma. The move came after a memorandum was submitted from both Congress and BJP corporators seeking to exempt cable TV subscription from the entertainment tax. “A final decision in the matter would be taken after deliberation with urban administration and housing development (UAHD),” he said.The tax on cinema halls would be flat 15% for all classes. BMC council members argued some relaxations be given for lesser well-off. The proposal was marked for deliberations.Multi-arts complex Bharat Bhavan, war memorial Shaurya Smarak, Van Vihar National Park and a few other places of public importance, have been exempted from the cess, Sharma said.“It (levy of entertainment tax) is not such an important issue that needs to be discussed. The BMC is dependent on cess and taxes,” said Sharma. He cited a July 9 gazette notification from the UAHD. States have empowered local bodies like the BMC to levy entertainment tax. Originally, the BMC had proposed a 20% entertainment cess.Earlier, BJP members submitted a memorandum to BMC chairman Surjeet Singh Chauhan opposing increase in entertainment cess on cable TV. BMC chairman Surjeet Singh Chauhan said, “Bhopal cable operators have urged that their business to be excluded from the cess. Cable TV is for common man and GST applies to them, too. They have informed the cess would be passed on to average household user.”Congress counsellors, too, approached BJP mayor Alok Sharma.Bhopal Cine Association secretary Mohd Azizuddin, however, maintains additional tax levied by is illegal as there can be no other tax on any service or good that is taxed under the GST. ‘We shall challenge this in court and I am sure it would be stayed in the first hearing itself.”

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