Kerala state government will soon introduce entertainment tax on non-Malayalam films that are being screened in the state, said finance minister TM Thomas Isaac in the assembly on Monday.

Isaac was responding to a calling attention motion by actor-turned-politician MLA KB Ganesh. Ganesh said that there was a lack of regulations to monitor ticket sales.

Ganesh Kumar, who oversaw cinema portfolio during the UDF regime stated that some theaters were charging exorbitant rates for tickets and parking. Malayalam movies were suffering because new non-Malayalam films were being screened in theaters across the state, he added.

“Kerala should follow the examples of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in imposing entertainment tax on other language films. We should impose at least 15 percent tax on such films screening in our state to improve the tax revenue,” Ganesh reportedly said.

The Finance Minister said that the state will consider the same and he further announced that the government is planning to introduce a centralized e-ticketing system to curb tax evasion by theater owners.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema, A K Balan, stated that Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) had already implemented an e-ticketing system in some theaters and is working to expand the same.