തിരുവനന്തപുരം∙ Sports Minister V. Abdurrahiman. The minister replied that taxes cannot be reduced and those who are starving should not watch the game. Last time the tax was reduced but the ticket price did not come down. The minister said that the tax was not reduced so that the organizers would not take excessive profits.
The government has raised the entertainment tax which is levied in addition to GST. The government has increased the entertainment tax to 12% this time from 5% during the India-South Africa match last September. With this, one has to pay Rs 120 for a ticket of Rs 1000 and Rs 260 for a ticket of Rs 2000 only in entertainment tax. This is in addition to 18% GST. Including this, the total tax rises to 30%. No matter how much the government raises the tax, the Kerala Cricket Association, which organizes the game, has no loss. They set the fare for the ticket excluding taxes. Any tax above that will be the responsibility of the ticket takers.
KCA has reduced the ticket price from Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,750 to Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 for the Twenty20 match held in September. The corporation demanded an entertainment tax of 24%. But considering the various benefits of international competition, the government allows relaxation in this.
English Summary: Karyavattom ODI entertainment tax hike, minister V Abdurahiman on tax deduction