One of Goa’s most potent, intrinsic and traditional connects with the people, where creativity meets reality, in song and verse and on stage, the tiatr, and other creative forms, are in for a taxing time. The Goods and Services Tax, which smaller traders and merchants feel has become a beast of burden and not a harbinger of simplicity, has now come to “haunt” (in the words of a tiatrist) the tiatr and the regional film fraternity.
While this appears to have dawned when the commercial taxes department has confirmed that tiatr tickets priced below Rs 100 would be charged 18% GST and those above Rs 100 would attract 28%, thereby hiking up ticket prices for tiatr-goers, there was obviously no targeting of tiatr and regional films which fall under the category of entertainment provided by entertainment companies.
And it’s not just the tickets. Production houses/ Entertainment companies with an annual turnover of more than Rs 20 lakhs will have to register with GST.
But some ironies are getting missed here. A slight surge in ticket prices of Hindi or even other cash rich regional movie centers make absolutely no difference to movie goers. A Rs 18 hike on a hundred rupee tiatr ticket and over a hundred rupee increase on a five hundred rupee ticket, could be a decisive one. It could be the one factor which would prevent a family form going to watch a show. Tiatr and even regional cinema patrons almost always go in groups and hence if one family or group takes a decision to stay away, four seats go empty.
It is vital that elements of real Goenkarponn, like tiatr, which constantly faces the challenge of being relevant and poplar to the new generations, function free of such impediments just as small traders and business were given relief on certain goods.
When tiatr production houses come under the GST burden, it will not simplify or ease the efforts of passionate creative people, who have kept alive a very unique art form of Goa. The same hit on revenues will be felt by Regional film-makers.
However leading Konkani film maker Rajendra Talak is of the view that since the government is granting financial assistance to make films it is the duty of film makers to pay taxes.
Honestly speaking Talak’s argument needs to be fleshed out and debated but as far as Tiatrs are concerned, there has to be roll back on GST. Even you call this as a protectionist move, so be it. If there is one art form which plays such a crucial role of entertaining, informing as well as fighting for Goa, it’s the tiatr.
This has forced the fraternity to leave all else and meet to deliberate the issue and decide on their next course of action. While the move will not be an immediate threat to the production and staging of shows, an additional burden will slow down aspects of the art in many ways when cutting costs will dominate productions.
At the same time however, the fraternity has to think this out and respond calmly an logically. A reasoned argument with due representations can set this right. A roll back can even be supported by the state government. That is the course of action that is suggested as opposed to name calling and accusing the government of targeting tiatrists. For the moment a strong representations and working with the government not to recommend a roll back will work better that an agitationist approach.
