Dish TV wants exemption from Service Tax
FOR the last six-seven years, Dish TV has been requesting the Finance Ministry to exempt it from Service Tax. DTH operators claim that they have to pay up to 50 per cent taxes while cable operators have to bear just about 32 per cent. The tax burden makes DTH expensive for consumers as well. They say that DTH is the most taxed service in the country. The various taxes thrust on DTH players include service tax, entertainment tax ranging from 10 to 45 per cent in various states, VAT on equipments and 10 per cent of their annual gross subscription revenues as licence fees to the government.