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As the country eagerly awaits what Finance Minister Arun Jaitley holds in his bag, celebs from the entertainment industry share their wishlist
- Jasmine Singh: Kya acha hai, kya bura hai...sab yahin reh jaana hai... The government at the Centre can probably look at this as their next logo because the aam janta is still confused whether, they are living under the umbrella of good days or not. But as Morgan Freeman in the film The Shawshank Redemption said, ‘hope is a good thing, maybe one of the best things,’ the citizens of this country are still hoping against hope that at least Finance Minister Arun Jaitley might release some good news from his briefcase, which holds the key to many decisions, to be taken at many households, at many work places, at various factories, at swanky offices, in rickety shops, in the glitzy cubicles of entertainment. It’s time for the Union budget 2016 and celebrities contrary to what we think ‘have enough already’ spell out their expectations...No hope: In the last year’s Union budget the media and entertainment sector did not find much mention, so this year I don’t have any expectations. Like director Prakash Jha mentioned in one of his interviews, that entertainment industry doesn’t exist for the country, and I feel the same. So, I don’t have any wishlist for this budget. Roshan Prince, singer,actor & producer Social cause: I want that the rebate income tax slab should be increased from 2.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs and we should also be given GST. As a producer, I would want that the service tax should be reduced so that producers making films on social issues should get subsidies from the government.
- Rrupaali Gupta,producer: Subsidy wise: First and foremost, I am not into this subsidy business, the government should be offering subsidy to films that offer quality cinema, which is good in content. The government should constitute a panel of people related to the film world that have cinematic sensibilities to select, which films should get subsidy. In this way, we will only have producers who are serious about their investment.
- Diljit Dosanjh, singer-actor: Producing benefits: Ideally, the budget should be pocket-friendly, which is a rare phenomenon. For the entertainment industry, especially in Punjab, I would like to see special economy zones, something like a rebate in the investment of post-production studios, so that the film cast doesn’t have to run to Mumbai to finish their post-production work. Secondly, the producers should get a rebate from the government so that more producers come forward and invest money.
- Munish Sahni, film distributor: Local affairs: The budget allocated for culture is always good enough; the big problem is that by the time it reaches the local level, its volume reduces to a great extent. This time I would want that the budget allocation for local theatre and cultural societies should be high.
- Ranjit Roy, director Chandigarh Art Theatre: Taxing affair: I would first of all want clear guidelines on how to actually treat payments for content production. This should actually be treated as work and not fees for technical services. All this will give a better clarity on the applicability of withholding taxes.
- Arvindr Khaira (video director jasmine@tribunemail.com): Take it easy policy: I would like to see a change in the way 'U' certificate is given. Ideally, there is a good amount of subsidy on films with a U certificate, but the process to get it is really tough. Even if actor shouts, the film is quickly given a 'U/A' rating saying that it is a violent film. How are we expected to make films then? Gippy Grewal, singer, actor & producer. Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/
