Should entertainment tax be levied on mobile ringtones & cybercafes?

People can pay more for ringtones
I wouldn’t mind if a tax is levied on mobile ringtones or caller tunes, because I can pay it with the monthly bill. Since people use the service, they shouldn’t mind spending a little more. It’s not fair to charge entertainment tax for cybercafes. People avail internet facilities at cybercafes and internet is a free information highway, why should it be taxed?
—Niket Bhusari

Don’t deny revenue to the state
It’s a good move to tax components like caller tunes and cybercafes. The revenue collected will go for some welfare schemes. Government needs money to build this city and I don’t mind paying. If I can pay Rs30 for a ringtone for a month then paying a small amount to the government as revenue is fine. People should take a positive view than being unnecessarily cynical.
—Rohan Paniker

Don’t tax all forms of entertainment
Why is the government taxing every aspect of entertainment? Cinema tickets were always taxed and few days ago, they announced that entertainment tax would be levied on T20 and ODI cricket matches and on pubs, discotheques and bars with live orchestra. And now they plan to levy a tax on cybercafes and caller tunes and mobile music? What is government upto? Are they going to tax all forms of entertainment now?
—Gauri Seth

Internet cafes are a necessity 
One can easily live without caller tunes, ringtones and mobile music. Same goes for video parlours, though I don’t agree with taxing cybercafes especially when we are struggling with making internet available to everyone. If taxes are levied, I’ll have no choice but to avail service of cybercafes and pay the tax, since it’s now a necessity for me, especially when I’m travelling.
—Hrishikesh Deshpande

We are already taxed too much
I’m against charging entertainment tax on services like mobile ringtones, caller tunes and mobile music. Already there is a cess levied on the telecom services. This will amount to double taxation. It is an exploitation of customers. I will protest by discontinuing the services, if they are taxed. Government cannot levy taxes on everything and label them as ‘entertainment’.
—Chintan Acharya

Compiled by Meghna Sharma