The Madras High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on Tamil hero Vijay as he failed to pay entry tax for importing Rolls Royce Ghost from England in 2012. Justice S.M. Subramaniam stressed on the importance of paying tax. Vijay didn’t even disclose his occupation in the affidavit filed in the support of his case.
The judge said that, “It is surprising to note that the petitioner has not even stated his profession or occupation in his affidavit. He has imported a prestigious costly car from England but unfortunately, not paid entry tax as per the statutes. He has filed a writ petition to avoid payment of tax… The petitioner, who is a reputed cine actor, is expected to pay the tax promptly and punctually.”
He said that taxes are very important for the state. The taxes paid by the citizens will be used in the construction of schools, hospitals, housing projects for the poor and railways, ports, etc.
The judge added that, “In the State of Tamil Nadu, cine heroes have risen as rulers of the State and therefore, the people are under the impression that they are real heroes. Thus, they are not expected to behave like reel heroes. Tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional.”
Justice Subramaniam said: “These actors portray themselves as champions of social justice. Their movies are against corrupt activities in the society. But, they are evading tax and acting in a manner which is not in consonance with the provisions of the Statutes.”
“Filing a writ petition, avoiding payment of Entry tax and keeping the writ petition pending for about nine years, can never be appreciated and it is not made clear even now, whether the Entry tax as applicable has been paid by the petitioner or not. On account of efflux of time, the learned counsel for the petitioner also has not stated anything regarding this,” the court said.
The judge also stated that, “Even philosophically, accumulation of wealth or possessing the world’s prestigious car would not be of no assistance for a better life in our great nation, as our country is enriched with culture and social values… The reputed persons of this great nation should realize that the money reaches to them is from the poor man’s blood and from their hard-earned money and not from the sky.”
