Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation seeks govt help to recover from COVID-19 crisis

The Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation has written to the government informing them of the difficulties that theatre owners are facing post the coronavirus lockdown.

The letter stated that theatres in Kerala have been closed for more than four months and that theatre owners are struggling to pay electricity bills, salary of employees and bank loans. Liberty Basheer, president of the federation, wrote to the government seeking help to recover from the crisis.

The letter also mentioned a list of measures that would help theatre owners. They are:

• Cancellation of electricity fixed charges of theatres up to March 2021.
• Cancellation of entertainment tax for one year.
• Provide 50 percent relaxation on building tax of cinema theatres.
• Extend theatre licenses, which got terminated on 31 March 2020, to 31 March 2021.
• Freeze the renewed minimum wage order in cinema theatres for a year.
• Cancel GST for one year.
• Withdraw welfare tax for a year.
• Cancellation of Kerala flood cess.