Organisers told to pay tax for Zubin concert

Pay entertainment tax, the Bombay high court directed the Mehli Mehta Foundation, which is organising Western Classical music orchestra concerts of Zubin Mehta, on Tuesday.

Pay entertainment tax, the Bombay high court directed the Mehli Mehta Foundation, which is organising Western Classical music orchestra concerts of Zubin Mehta, on Tuesday.

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The concerts will be held at the National Centre for Performing Arts on March 30 and 31. The entertainment tax will be subject to final outcome of the petition, observed the court. A division bench of justice DK Deshmukh and justice KK Tated directed the foundation to pay entertainment tax after the organisers refused to accept the court’s suggestion to give the collections from the concerts to the state government.

Fredun DeVitre, the petitioner’s counsel, argued that the concerts were “sources of funds for the trust”. “We are ready to give an undertaking that the funds will be used for charity and philanthropy purpose,” he added.

But government pleader D. Nalawade argued that the foundation would have to pay entertainment tax. The foundation had approached the high court last week after the state government had failed to pass an order on their plea seeking exemption from paying entertainment tax.