இன்று சட்டமன்றத்தில் #GST &கேளிக்கைவரி என திரைத்துறை மீதான இரட்டைவரி விதிப்பு குறித்து உடனடி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வலியுறுத்தினேன் #TheatreStrike...

DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin raised the ongoing cinema industry crisis in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on July 6, 2017. Raising the matter during proceedings, Stalin urged the state government to take immediate action against the punitive double taxation imposed on the film industry through both Goods and Services Tax and municipal entertainment tax, which had triggered an unprecedented statewide theatre strike.

The opposition leader pointed out that cinema halls across Tamil Nadu remained closed, leaving thousands of daily wage workers, theatre operators, and small traders without income. While the Union government levied high GST rates on movie tickets, the state administration compounded the burden by adding an additional local body entertainment tax. Stalin stressed that this crippling fiscal squeeze threatened the survival of regional cinema and paralyzed a major creative sector.

Stalin demanded that the state cabinet negotiate immediately with theatre owners and film producers to resolve the impasse. He argued that the government must roll back the duplicate local levy to protect working families dependent on the entertainment industry. The DMK reiterated its call for fair fiscal policies.