Expect GST to be passed in this coming session of Parliament: Naidu

'Broad consensus [on GST] has emerged. Still there are certain points which are to be addressed by the Finance Minister'

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Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu has said he expects the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill to pass in the coming session of the Parliament.

At a Meet the Minister programme organised by the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) in Chennai, Naidu said, "With regard to GST, the entire country is watching what is going to happen in Parliament tomorrow. Broad consensus has emerged. Still there are certain points which are to be addressed by the Finance Minister".

"The government is serious and we are pursuing with all the parties concerned with regard to the GST Bill. In the coming session of the Parliament itself, GST will be passed, that is my expectation," he added. The film industry has put forward a request that the taxes related to the Panchayats and Octroi should be avoided once the GST is implemented.

Responding to various requests made by various State level Film Chamber of Commerces and the SIFCC, he said that he will look into each matter and will address the issues as early as possible.

He said that his ministry has received the report from the Shyam Benegal Committee, which was formed to recommend on varous to lay down norms for film certification that take note of best practices in various parts of the world and give sufficient and adequate space for artistic and creative expression, lay down procedures and guidelines for the benefit of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Board to follow and examine staffing patterns with a view to recommending a framework that would provide efficient and transparent user friendly services.

He added that the film industry should be more responsible and the national interest should be protected in films. He added that his view is that the films should not have vulgarity or obsenity, and it should have some good message to convey to the audience. Piracy is a major issue and the government would look at how to address it and will consult with the finance minister about the requests related to the other helps, he said.

The SIFCC requested that the government should take steps to curb online piracy and the downloads could be controlled if there are restrictions on the 175 Internet Service Providers licensed under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The anti-camcoding laws should be strengthened to stop usage of camcoder to record the movie from the theatre, the GST sould be the only tax and no local taxes should be applied on theatres once the GST is implemented, the Censor Panel and the Board should have at least 50 per cent representation from the industry and there should be support from the Finance Ministry in connection to conversion of old theatres to multiplexes.

D Suresh Babu, president of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce has requested the government to consider amendment in the Copyright law to provide some royalty to the producer, when a movie or song is played in the television. S Thanu, president of Tamil Nadu Film Chamber of Commerce requested the government to provide tax subsidy when the single theatres are converted into multiplexes and the piracy is causing a loss of Rs 18,000 crore for the Indian Film industry and around Rs 1,000 crore to the Tamil Nadu film industry. G P Vijayakumar, president of Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce said that there should be a division in the ministry to consider the issues of the film industry and come up with solution.

Ravi Kottarakara, general secretary of Film Federation of India said that the industry representatives also said that while the film sector has been recognised as an industry, it has only in papers and no benefits has been transpired so far. He added that while there are around 9,000 screens in the country at present, it has to be increased to at least 20,000 screens for the benefit of the industry.