A confusing situation has developed regarding the tax free status of the controversial movie The Kerala Story in Madhya Pradesh.
While state home minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday said that the movie The Kerala Story continues to be tax free in Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Cinema Association secretary Azizuddin told The Week that they will collect tax for the screening of the movie as per the order issued by the government on May 9, until further written order to the contrary comes.
The issue started on Wednesday after a commercial tax department order, cancelling an earlier order (dated May 6) to provide tax exemption to The Kerala Story for a month, had come forth. Despite several attempts by many media outlets including The Week, no confirmation or denial came from the state government. However, sources had said that the tax-exemption was withdrawn as the movie had an ‘A’ certificate from the censor board (Central Board of Film Certification).
Meanwhile, the cinema association general secretary had said that tax collection on the movie would start as per the May 9 order.
However, on Thursday, answering a question on this issue, the home minister said: “It is my request to cinema hall owners and all others concerned that they should not be under any confusion. The Kerala Story has been made tax free in Madhya Pradesh; it is and will continue to be tax free. If there is any viral or fake order circulating, it should not be considered. The chief minister himself announced the tax-free status for the movie.”
Azizuddin told The Week that they had got the May 9 order from proper government channels and not the social media. “We will go by the May 9 order of the state commercial tax department until we have a fresh written order from the government. We cannot depend on verbal statements,” he said. He also added that as per rules movies with ‘A’ certification cannot be given tax exemption.
Lodge FIR if May 9 order fake: Congress
Opposition Congress has attacked the government for creating a confusing situation deliberately. Media department chief of Madhya Pradesh government K.K. Mishra said that the government should come out with a written clarification on the issue. “If the home minister is saying that the May 9 order is a fake, the government should register FIR against those responsible for this. Actually, the home minister of Madhya Pradesh has ceased to be home minister and become a film reviewer. Rather than paying attention to the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, his focus is always on movies and bikinis,” Mishra said while talking to The Week, indicating the home minister’s repeated statements over ‘objectionable’ contents in various movies.
Mishra had tweeted on Wednesday about the rollback of the tax-free status, saying that the government made an ‘adult movie’ tax free and then rolled back the decision under pressure from ‘big daddy’ (indicating PM office). He had also questioned the silence of all authorities on the new order, asking whether any government existed in MP or not?
Following MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s announcement of tax-free status to ‘Kerala Story’ on May 6, three other BJP-ruled states—Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana have also given similar exemptions to the movie.
