Rajinikanth on Wednesday urged the state government to do away with the entertainment tax. Over 1,000 cinemas in Tamil Nadu remain closed since Monday as the state government failed to do away with the tax like Kerala. The neighbouring state annulled the tax after goods and service tax (GST) came into force. The theatre owners say that they will be forced to pay about 58 per cent of the ticket rate as tax to the government if entertainment tax is levied over and above the GST rate. Actor Rajinikanth took to Twitter asking the state government to consider the industry’s plea. “Keeping in mind the livelihood of lakhs of people in the Tamil film industry, I sincerely request the Tamil Nadu government to seriously consider our plea,” he tweeted.
