PROFESSIONAL INTOLERANCE: Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan exposed as Professional Tax thieves

Akela

THESE days two Bollywood superstars have taken on the role of victimhood by subtly but surely playing up their ‘Muslim’ identities to lend support to the claims of ‘rising intolerance’ under the Modi era, but now these very actors have been exposed as Professional Tax thieves.

A reply to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed that Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have not deposited a single paisa in Professional Tax to the state government.

RISING INTOLERANCE AGAINST NATION AND ITS LAWS
One wonders why amid all their public posturing it never struck the two film stars, who are rolling in crores, that not depositing tax with the government is a crime against the entire nation. Both actors run production companies and are supposed to deposit with the state government the professional tax deducted from the salaries of their employees, but they are not doing so.

On December 16, the Service Tax department gave a reply (copy with ABI) to Mumbai-based RTI activist Manoranjan Roy that was very much shocking. It said both the actors had not deposited professional tax to the state government.

“Shockingly, the actors have not registered and not even opened their company’s Professional Tax account in the department,” said Roy.

 ASATYAMEV JAYATE

Aamir Khan, who is referred to as Mr Perfectionist in Bollywood, may not be all that perfect a person in real life. The 51-year-old actor, filmmaker and “philanthropist” focused on sensitive social issues in India in the television show Satyamev Jayate. The actor mostly does one movie per year, which usually proves to be a blockbuster. He charges around Rs 40 crore for each film and is also ranked 14th in the Forbes India Celebrity list. Aamir, who recently made headlines due to his comment on “religious intolerance in India”, has not paid a single paisa in Professional Tax since 2001 after founding his production company Aamir Khan Productions (AKP).

Aamir Khan Productions was set up in 1999 and founded in 2001 with the purpose of producing and distributing the film Lagaan. Aamir decided to produce Lagaan after the script was not purchased by any other studio. Aamir Khan’s second wife Kiran Rao, who also is a producer, was the associate producer for both Taare Zameen Par and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. AKP has around 25 employees.

An employee of AKP on condition of anonymity said that Aamir Khan was always trying to get away with not paying a salary. The employee complained that Aamir never paid proper salary to his employees. The employee said that if any employee dares to demand his or her salary, Aamir says : “Tumahara naam Aamir Khan ke saath jud gaya, ye kya kam hai kya.” He pays minimum possible salary to employees, said the person.

MY NAME IS CON

Shah Rukh Khan, who has several names like SRK, King Khan, Badshah of Bollywood and Hakla Khan, was on top of the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. He is one of the most bankable actors in the film industry and as of December 31, 2013, he had made Rs 220.5 crore through his movies and other endorsements. The Chennai Express actor charges Rs 35 crore per film.

Shah Rukh Khan’s own production company Red Chillies Entertainment (RCE) was founded on May 7, 2002. His wife Gauri Khan is CEO of the company. RCE was ranked as the third, fifth and seventh most powerful production house in Bollywood in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The company also has a 50% stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Shah Rukh recently said the “increasing religious intolerance” in the nation was pushing India back and asserted that he is ready to return his National Award if needed. This is the same Shah Rukh Khan who has around 200 employees and is not paying Professional Tax to the government.