Karnataka on Wednesday ordered a complete waiver of property tax on single-screen theatres for the 2021-22 financial year. After the Karnataka State Film Exhibitors Association (KSFEA) submitted a detailed memorandum to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, the latter directed the officials to issue an order waiving property tax with immediate effect.
According to the order, the property tax waiver for single screen theatres will cost the state exchequer Rs 9 crore.
The decision comes at a time single screen theatres are reeling under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns enforced due to it. Many single screen theatres in the state have shut down or are on the verge of shutting down permanently.
The KSFEA in its memorandum stated that with theatres remaining shut for almost 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March last year, barring a short window between February and April this year, the theatre owners have suffered huge losses.
The association said that no audience is likely to visit the theatres during this time, and many theatres are on the verge of shutting down.
There are 630 single-screen theatres in the state. Over the past year, the theatres hardly opened for a month or two, following an unlock after the first wave of the pandemic.
Even though they were open, the theatres could operate only at 50 % capacity. Hence, the theatres could barely make up for the losses they incurred, according to the association.
The government order also stated that theatres may be allowed to operate for a month or two, and that too at 50 % capacity.