Kerala Film Exhibitors’ Federation officials have said that the theatres in the state will go on an indefinite strike from October 17 if their demands, including tax exemption, are not met. At least 360 theatres across the state remained closed on Thursday in a token strike against the power tariff hike.
“The increased charges have burdened us. We are demanding that the government give us permission to increase service charges. The existing Rs 2 being collected as maintenance charge should be hiked to `5,” Federation state general secretary M C Bobby said.
“We are giving the government a month’s time to consider our demands. If the government fails to meet our demands we will go on an indefinite strike. “The government had earlier promised to reduce the entertainment tax by 10 per cent. But it did not happen. Now we are demanding that all Malayalam movies should be exempted from paying entertainment tax. 600-seater AC theatres requires 18 litres of diesel to run for one hour. This results in a huge loss everyday,” he said.