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Musicians performing at hotels and restaurants may soon be brought out of the ambit of entertainment tax and entertainment duty, said Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, adding that corrective measures would be taken immediately.
“We will review the same and make all necessary changes,” Bhujbal said at the 47th annual Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations (FHRAI) Convention.
Around 800 musicians, many from Goa, who used to perform in hotels and restaurants in Mumbai were thrown out of their jobs when the establishments were brought under the ambit of the Bombay Entertainments Duty Act (1923).
Kamlesh Barot, President of FHRAI, said that many traditional, local musicians of Maharashtra who otherwise could have been employed by hotels and restaurants came under the ambit of these laws and were facing unemployment.
For instance, a pianist who used to perform for years at the Oberoi Hotel’s lobby in Mumbai had to lose his job as the hotel was asked to pay Rs 2.5 lakh per month as entertainment tax, Barot said. “The hotel had no option but to relieve him from his job because of the high costs involved,” he added.
FHRAI has also put up a proposal to the Maharashtra Government to create special tourism zones in Mumbai to revive the nightlife of the city and to attract more tourists.
>nivedita.ganguly@thehindu.co.in
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