Distributors appeal to Finance Minister over TDS

 He also added that they will not facilitate the release of new Tamil films from March 27. The latest update on the issue is that a letter has been handed over to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Talking to DT Next, T Rajendar said, “People at the helm of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce recently met the honourable Finance Minister and have handed over the letter. She has assured them that she will respond to it in the coming days.”

Rajendar added that producers and distributors are facing the burden of huge taxes that are being levied on the industry. “In addition to the entertainment tax and the local body tax, we also have to pay 10 per cent of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) for the number of films that a distributor releases in a particular area. It is not that we recover the money every time we invest on a film. Despite losses, we still pay 10 per cent TDS, which is unfair,” he said. TR said that he is firm on the stance that they have taken. “I am sure we will get a positive response from the Centre. If they do not get back to us on this, we wouldn’t be releasing new films in future,” he revealed.