Movie, concert tickets to get costlier in Mumbai? BMC’s proposes up to 570% entertainment tax hike

The civic body has proposed a massive 570% hike in the current entertainment tax rates for cinema halls in Mumbai.
Moneycontrol News
September 23, 2026 / 12:55 IST
(File photo)

Movie and concert ticket prices will see a sharp rise in Mumbai if the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) proposal to increase entertainment tax gets a nod from the state government’s Urban Development Department.

It the proposal gets approved, ticket prices for movies and performing arts, including plays and concerts, performed in languages other than Marathi and Gujarati, are likely to spike sharply.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the civic body proposed a massive 570% hike in the current entertainment tax rates for cinema halls in Mumbai.

The entertainment tax has to be paid by exhibitors and managers of performing arts theaters to the civic authorities for hosting shows and screenings. But the burden could eventually fall on the consumers, as exhibitors typically include it in the ticket prices.

What changes?

Under the BMC’s proposal, cinemagoers at air-conditioned halls and multiplexes could face a steep jump in ticket costs, with the civic body proposing to raise the per-ticket entertainment tax from Rs 60 to Rs 400 — a jump of 570 per cent.

Non-AC cinema halls would see their rate climb from Rs 45 to Rs 200 per ticket, marking a 400 per cent increase.

For performing arts events such as concerts and plays, the tax is proposed to rise from Rs 50 to Rs 100, while other miscellaneous entertainment shows would move from Rs 25 to Rs 75.

The proposal also introduces an entirely new levy — Rs 90 per ticket — for mini theatres and venues screening videos, a category that has not been taxed before.

At the same time, the civic body has proposed a full, 100 per cent tax waiver for cinema halls, multiplexes and theatres screening Marathi and Gujarati films, plays and concerts, as a way of supporting regional cinema and culture.

What happens if the state denies?

Per a Times of India report, the civic administration has proposed keeping the 2014-15 tax rates unchanged through 2027-28 until the state government sanctions the revised structure and formally notifies it in the Official Gazette.

A BMC official said, “For now, the old rates will continue to apply as the revised rates are yet to be sanctioned by the Urban Development Department.”

As things stand, AC cinemas pay Rs 60 per show and non-AC cinemas Rs 45 per show, dramas and other entertainment programmes are taxed at Rs 25 per show, and circuses and funfairs pay Rs 50 per day.

The 6% concession available since 1959 to taxpayers who pay their monthly theatre tax in advance by the fifth of the month is also proposed to continue for 2027-28.

Moneycontrol News
first published: Sep 23, 2026 12:55 pm

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