கேரள அரசு கேளிக்கை வரியை ரத்து செய்தது போல், தமிழகத்திலும் ரத்து செய்து சினிமா தொழிலை பாதுகாக்கும் சூழ்நிலையை விரைவில் ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்.

DMK working president M.K. Stalin urged the Tamil Nadu government on July 6, 2017, to immediately abolish local entertainment tax to save the state cinema industry from financial distress. Pointing to the progressive fiscal policy adopted by neighboring Kerala, where the state government waived local entertainment levies following the rollout of GST, Stalin argued that Tamil Nadu must adopt a similar constructive approach without delay.

The opposition leader stated that the film industry supports hundreds of thousands of daily wage earners, technicians, theatre employees, and small vendors whose livelihoods faced immediate danger. Subjecting movie tickets to both central GST and local entertainment taxes created an intolerable double-taxation burden that forced theatres across Tamil Nadu to shut their doors. Stalin stressed that prolonged theatre closures damaged regional commerce, hurt ancillary businesses, and curtailed cultural entertainment for ordinary citizens.

Stalin urged the state administration to initiate immediate discussions with cinema stakeholders and eliminate the additional local tax. He emphasized that proactive governance requires empathy for vulnerable workers in creative industries rather than stubborn fiscal obstinacy. The DMK pledged its support to cinema workers in their struggle for survival.