Cinema tickets to cost less from Friday

May 6: Almost all cinemas in Maharashtra will reduce the admission rates from Friday following the reduction in entertainment tax from 100 ...

May 6: Almost all cinemas in Maharashtra will reduce the admission rates from Friday following the reduction in entertainment tax from 100 per cent to 60 per cent.

Revealing this, U A Thadani, president of the Theatre Owners Association said the theatres will pass on the benefit of tax reduction to cinegoers and the admission rates in almost all cinemas will be reduced to the level when entertainment tax was 50 per cent. A Rs 31 ticket will now cost Rs 25 and a Rs 25 ticket will cost Rs 17, he said.

The Government of Maharashtra got its bill for reduction of entertainment tax and slab rates in cities having a population of over Rs 1.5 lakh passed in the last Assembly session which ended on April 27. The government gazette was issued on Tuesday.

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Thadani said the theatres would have introduced the revised admission rates from Wednesday itself, but since it required printing of tickets afresh, the same would be made applicable from Friday.

Cinema houses all over the state had gone on an indefinite strike on January 1 to demand reduction in entertainment tax. The strike was withdrawn following an agreement between cinema owners and the government, but the same could not be implemented as the Election Commission’s code of conduct was in force.

The state government has also announced a series of measures to help the ailing Marathi film industry. Not only has it increased the entertainment tax refund from Rs 13 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, it has also granted 100 per cent entertainment tax exemption to Marathi films. In addition, Marathi film producers will get a 50 per cent rebate if they shoot in film studios controlled by the government, like Film City in Mumbai and Kolhapur. The government has also instituted a prize of Rs 1 lakh that will be given to any Marathi film that wins either a national or an international award. This year three Marathi films – Doghi, Bangarwadi and Senani Saneguruji – were given a special prize of Rs 1 lakh each at the Maharashtra State Awards ceremony held on April 30.