Studios to observe bandh today

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JUNE 20.

To protest against the proposed five per cent service tax levied on the photography industry, all photo studios, colour labs and other allied services for the first time will observe a bandh and hold demonstration all over the country this Thursday.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, the All- India Photographic Trade & Industry Association (AIPTIA) president, Mr. Dinesh Shah, said nearly 20 different photographic associations from all over the country have called for complete strike and all establishments related to photography trade would remain closed.

Stating that the additional burden of service tax would curb the growth and development of this Rs. 2,000 crore trade, Mr. Shah pointed out that the photography industry was perturbed by the burden of multi-taxation as it had already been paying sales tax, customs and excise duties.

Claiming that the Government would have to invest more to levy the tax and would have low returns, Mr. Shah at the time when the Indian photography industry, already paying Rs. 400 crore as taxes, was growing, the imposition of service tax would hamper its growth.

Mr. Shah said the strike had been called to draw the Government's attention to "unjustified" levying of tax. It was wrong to equate a photographer with a chartered accountant or an interior decorator, he said, adding, ``Even the Supreme Court has said that photography was a work of art. So by that standards will the Government tax a painter or a sculptor,'' he questioned.

The most telling impact of service tax would be on small photographers and those working in towns and rural areas as their business would be severely affected by it, said Mr. Gupta. They were planning to move the Supreme Court against multi-taxation which was not good for the industry, he added.

The Northern India Colour Labs Association president, Mr. Ravinder Kohli, said in Delhi, photographers and colour lab owners would take out a protest march from Ramlila Ground to Jantar Mantar in the afternoon tomorrow and later submit a memorandum to the Finance Minister demanding withdrawal of the proposal. All colour labs in Delhi, around 200, and photo studios would remain closed, he added.

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