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Union Budget 2021 EXCLUSIVE: Pahlaj Nihalani feels GST on film industry should be waived off for next 3 years
In an EXCLUSIVE quote to Pinkvilla, Pahlaj Nihalani, former Chairman of CBFC, shared his honest thoughts on the film industry being majorly snubbed during the Union Budget 2021.
The Union Budget 2021 was presented by the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, at the Parliament today, i.e. February 1, and all citizens' eyes were focused on it as they were curious to know how the government planned to work on the downtrodden economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, as a major disappointment to the entertainment industry, not much allocation was provided to a sector who pays the highest of taxes.
Pahlaj Nihalani, former Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), feels that although the budget is futuristic, in general, there is nothing for the film industry. "The industry has suffered huge losses during the pandemic and I feel the GST should be waived off completely for the next three years. Also, for the exhibition sector, the electricity bills need to be waived off. The property tax of those in the film industry should also be waived off till the industry comes back to normal," Nihalani further explained.
Not only the Hindi film industry but even the South film industry feels there was nothing in the budget for the film industry and that there are issues of GST that the government needs to address. L. Suresh of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) stated, "The GST on various things related to us is not uniform like if Copyright sale is 18 percent then in some other deal, it has 12 percent on it. We have written to GST council to make it uniform."
What is your personal take on the Union Budget 2021 and especially, the entertainment industry being majorly snubbed? Share your honest thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments section below.
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