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New cop-led wing set up to check video piracy

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has announced constitution of an enforcement wing headed by an inspector general of police to curb video piracy to save the Tamil film industry from destruction.

Industry representatives met the CM after a taking part in a massive procession in Madras on Friday protesting the video menace. Karunanidhi later assured that similar wings would be set up at the district levels also.

He said the government would effect suitable amendments to the Goondas Act to detain those arrested for more than two times for piracy crimes.

The government has also decided to neither licence new video parlours nor renew existing ones.

On the film industry's demand to reduce the entertainment tax, Karunanidhi said that while the tax on new films would be reduced from 40 to 30 per cent with effect from August 1, tax on films released ten years ago, would be reduced from 40 to 20 per cent.

It has also been decided to reduce the compounding tax, he added. Following these decisions, the film industry would get concessions to the tune of Rs 400 million.

UNI

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