Sep 24, 2026 4:24pm IST
BMC Proposes Entertainment Tax Hike, Movie Ticket Prices Could Go Up By 567%
The movie-going experience may change for cine lovers soon. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the governing body of the city, has reportedly proposed a massive hike in the entertainment tax rates, as per The Indian Express. According to the report, the proposal suggests a 567% hike at the AC venues and 345% at the non-AC ones.
This makes it likely that the price range for movies and performing arts, including plays and concerts, will be increased in the coming days. The civic body has proposed the hike by claiming that following the introduction of the entertainment tax in the ticket pricing for the first time in 1969, it has not been increased. BMC had reportedly suggested the change for the first time back in 2015; however, it was not executed back then. 11 years later, the proposal was tabled by the corporation’s assessment and collection department during its law committee on Tuesday.
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As of now, the chairperson of the civic body’s law committee, Diksha Karkar, has asked for the proposal by asking the administration to rework it. She is said to have said this, keeping in mind the current high costs of tickets, including GST rates and other inflation-related factors.
This will make the entertainment tax on air-conditioned cinema halls and multiplexes go from ₹60 to ₹400 per ticket, non-AC ones from ₹45 to ₹200 and from ₹50 to ₹100 for performing arts shows, including plays and live concerts. Tax for other miscellaneous entertainment events will rise from ₹30 to ₹75. Paid by the exhibitors and managers of performing arts theaters to the BMC, the direct impact of the hike is expected to fall on the consumers.
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However, they will exempt cinema halls, multiplexes and theaters exhibiting Marathi and Gujarati cinema, plays and concerts, in order to promote regional industry and culture.
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