KATHMANDU,  Feb  5: Film halls across the country were shut today in protest against the government’s tax levied under various brackets. As a symbolic protest, 150 film halls were shut down on Monday.

According to the Nepal Motion Picture Association (NMPA), the government is collecting 36 percent tax in the name of film development fees, local tax, and VAT. The association argued that the film development fee and local tax are impractical and demanded that they be abolished.

The NMPA has demanded that after the implementation of VAT and corporate tax, no tax can be collected under other headings. The association has also said that the direct impact of higher VAT is impacting the audience.

According to the NMPA, there were 450 film halls in the country before the establishment of the Film Development Board, but now only 150 film halls are operating. Mentioning that the film sector has collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NMPA also said that the sector cannot sustain itself based on the taxes imposed by the government. “If our demands about high taxes are not met, we will resort to other means of protest,” said Narendra Maharna, spokesperson of  NMPA.

 
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