BCCI has taken up KTK-Corporation row over tax seriously:KCA

The BCCI has taken up very seriously the issue of entertainment tax involving the Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Kochi Municipal Corporation, a top state cricket association official said on Tuesday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had taken up the issue 'very seriously'. The IPL authorities had also spoken to him, Kerala Cricket Association Secretary T C Mathew told reporters.

The Kochi Corporation and the franchisee are at loggerheads over the entertainment tax on tickets for the IPL matches staged in Kochi.

Corporation Mayor Tony Chammani on Tuesday said in a statement that the franchisee was committing a lot of irregularities on pricing of tickets to evade tax.

While the corporation says it has given 50 per cent waiver, the franchisee has alleged that they were being forced to pay full tax for the complimentary tickets given to the corporation also.

The owners have decided to close down the Rs 15,000 ticket stand for the hospitality sector and instead make arrangements for them elsewhere.

"We will be unable to provide facilities in the section to the visiting team's owners due to the corporation's attitude," Mathew said.

Vivek Venugopal and Chintan Bora, franchisee of the Kochi outfit, said they would be forced to look at other options in the next IPL season if the Kochi corporation did not change its attitude.

Mathew said the Kochi IPL team was born after many hurdles and effort were being made to 'snuff' out its life and strangulate it. "This is painful."

"It will be difficult to continue. The hospitality area is inevitable', he said. The sponsors come under this sector and about Rs 2.3 crore was spent to modernise the area."

He said if the IPL was taken away from Kochi and Kerala, the KCA or the franchisee would not be responsible. Venugopal said they had signed an agreement with BCCI and KCA to give five per cent and 15 per cent of complimentary tickets to them respectively.

The Corporation quoting Kerala Municipal Rules has said only five per cent of the tickets can be complimentary. On the pricing of tickets, Venugopal said it was the franchisee's prerogative and Kochi Mayor or the Corporation cannot decide on it.

The KCA and the franchisee have sought amendment of the Municipal rules.

Mathew said on earlier occasions when one-day international matches were played at the stadium the five per cent cap on complimentary tickets had not been implemented.