21 January 2024, 02:00 AM IST
Kollam: The government has made it mandatory to pay the cinema cess if the theater license is to be renewed. The instructions to the local bodies are that they should renew the license only after presenting a certificate of no arrears of cinema cess to be paid to the Kerala State Cultural Workers Welfare Fund Board.
The chairman of the board had informed the government that the cess collected from the theaters was not being paid to the welfare fund board in the respective month. It is the main source of income for the board. Cess is Rs.3 per ticket. Local body secretaries are responsible for collecting and paying cess monthly along with ‘entertainment taxi’. If the amount collected is not paid to the board on time, there is a provision to levy penalty from the secretary or chairman of the local body.
The application for ‘No Due’ certificate should be submitted by the theater owner through e-mail to the Cultural Worker Board. A copy of this should also be sent to the Local Self-Government. The board should send the certificate to the theater owner and the concerned local body by e-mail within seven days of receiving the application.
Even if the certificate is not issued within this period, the license may be renewed on the conclusion that there is no arrears with the Board. It has also been suggested that if the theater owner is late in paying the cess paid by the local body to the board, the license of the applicant should be renewed by paying the amount within five days.
