Rajinikanth protests against new tax

Rajinikanth led the protest of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SICC) against the government’s decision to impose a 12.36% service tax on film and television artists and technicians, by joining a day-long demonstration of the fraternity in Chennai on Monday.

Producers, actors and technicians of Tamil and Telugu film industries boycotted shooting for a day on 7 January. Some of its members were also on a fast. “The service tax

which is mandatory for all those who earn more than Rs. 10 lakh per annum, forces many of us to evade tax by various methods and finally leads to more black money, which the government will have to take responsibility for,” he said at the gathering. “I hope the Centre would listen to our legitimate demand and act favorably,” he added.