Putting an end to a complicated debate, the Tamil Nadu government has announced the new Local Body Entertainment tax rates officially on Monday. Passing the government order, the new rules require 8% to be taxed for Tamil films, 15% for non-Tamil films and 20% for foreign movies. The ticket prices will see a steep hike as the government had also raised the base fares for movie tickets. Allowing a 25% hike, theaters were allowed to charge upto Rs 150 per ticket if they fulfilled the necessary conditions. The Tamil Film Producer's Council had launched a strike at the start of October against the LBET, saying that they wouldn't release any new Tamil films until a solution is found. As a result, no new films were released for two weeks across Tamil Nadu. The strike had caused a state of flux in the industry as release dates got pushed. Bejoy Nambiar-Dulquer Salmaan's Solo was released and taken off the theatres in just a day due to the strike. The film was rereleased at a few theatres. With the festival weekend approaching, films are struggling to get slots for release. Vijay's magnum opus with Atlee Mersal, Sarathkumar's Chennaiyil Oru Naal 2 and Karthik Subburaj production Meyaadha Maan are expected to release during the Diwali weekend.
