Maha govt to levy tax on IPL, ODI cricket matches

Mumbai, Jun 21: After being pulled up by the High Court on its failure to levy Entertainment Duty (ED) on Indian Premier League (IPL), the Maharashtra government has finally decided to tax the cash-heavy Twenty20 cricket tournament.

The government on Monday, jun 21 filed an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court on this matter. The move came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by senior Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai, who raised questions over the losses incurred by the state exchequer because the government did not levy entertainment duty (ED) on IPL matches and other similar events including all T20, ODI matches.

"The state government affidavit states that it will now levy ED on all IPL, T20 and one-day cricket matches wherever they are played in the state," the Sena leader's lawyer Balkrishna Joshi said, adding that the decision would be implemented only in the future, whenever any of these cricket matches are held.

The tax rate will be ranged between 10 to 25 per cent, based on whether the matches are being played in urban, semi-urban or rural areas.

The High Court had not only slammed the state government for dithering to levy ED but had also questioned central government whether Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's association with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not cause a 'conflict of interests'.

OneIndia News