“I would love to present an idealistic view by saying we should honorably pay our taxes to resolve the issue. But I will be wrong in saying so”, says Terence off the bat.
“I could say we brought it upon ourselves by trying to trick the system and if only we had ensured timely and judicious filings this problem would have never befallen. But the truth of the matter is far more intricate than that. Even the most righteous of artists did not stand a chance in the face of this demonetization.
Entertainers have always been victims of the system. Clients had the purchasing power, they were even willing to honour the artist’s often ridiculous asking price but when it came to payment they would insist on paying in cash. In such case if an artist wanted to declare this income he risked the payment being linked to his client and hurting their relationship. Furthermore, our line of business is very competitive. If one artist refuses, there would be a beeline of entertainers just waiting to jump on the opportunity. Any money was good money. We didn’t have a say whether it should be in cash or cheque”, confesses an aggrieved Terence.
Speaking about the approach the government has adopted to weed out corruption Terence believes that a single focus approach cannot be the answer. He says, “The root issue is that India is corrupt. In more developed parts of the world corruption is looked down upon and fraudulence is ridiculed. Somewhere our people have accepted that it is okay to be corrupt. The government needs to change that thought process to ensure systems are followed voluntarily. With respect to countries where cases of corruption are few, I think it’s fair to add that their government ensures assistance in the form of medical aid, free education etc. The relationship between the state and its people needs to be quid pro quo. In our country there is wide apprehension that taxes may not be utilized rightfully. If people see direct benefits they would be happy to be taxed by its government.”
Speaking in context to the events community Terence states, “My question to the government is that what does it plan to do to ensure better opportunities for artists. Will the government take steps to curb officials from taking bribes? Will it ensure single-window licensing? Will it lease out state-owned venues for events? Will government officials see salary hikes so they don’t turn to degenerate ways? If yes then the steps towards demonetization is for good measure. We are happy to face the ramifications because we will find stability sooner than later.”
The wedding industry will be elbowed into the organized sector, there will be a cap on ostentatious spends at private social events, celebrity quotient will take a backseat and real talent will get a chance to surface. This is indeed a bold move by the government and while I’m hopeful that the vision of a non-corrupt India manifests as a result of this, I also hope the vision goes much beyond just this”, added Terence in summary.
