The Tamil Nadu government has increased the prices of movie tickets by 25%. The decision was taken despite protests against a 10% local body entertainment tax over and above General Sales Tax of 28%.

The new ticket prices came into effect from October 9. According to the government order, the maximum and minimum price for tickets in non-air conditioned theatres will be Rs 120 and Rs 40 respectively, while the maximum and minimum price for air-conditioned theatres will be Rs 160 and Rs 50 respectively. Additional charges will be included for online ticket booking.

Whether the local body entertainment tax has been included in the calculations is unclear. Therefore, if the base price includes the local body tax, the ticket price is the base price in addition to 28% GST. If the base price does not include the local body tax, then in addition to the 28% GST, a 10% local body tax for Tamil films and a 20% tax for non-Tamil films is added to the final ticket price.

Twitterati in Tamil Nadu have, meanwhile, been vocal against the imposition of the 10% local body tax.