EEMA AND DELHI GOVT. JOIN HANDS TO SIMPLIFY LICENSING FOR EVENTS IN DELHI

The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) in collaboration with the Govt. of Delhi recently made significant efforts towards creating a conducive process for license acquisition for events in the nation’s capital.

Besides appointing a nodal officer for creation of the single-window licensing process, with an eye on ease-of-doing-business an agreement and process has been put into place whereby EEMA member companies can do ticketed events in the national capital without paying entertainment tax before the event.

The decision was preceded by a series of meetings between the National Executive Committee of EEMA and the Delhi government led by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Mr Arvind Kejriwal, the Hon’ble Dy Chief Minister, Mr Manish Sisodia and the Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Delhi, Mr. Kapil Mishra. Following a detailed EEMA representation, the Chief Minister appointed a nodal officer to engage with EEMA and find solutions in the shortest possible time.

True to the CM's word, the Delhi government has moved at a rapid pace. EEMA’s persistent efforts towards streamlining the licensing process in Delhi have yielded some promising results for all EEMA Members.

Commenting on the achievement, Sabbas Joseph, President, EEMA said “Through the proactive approach of the Delhi government and EEMA, positive results with regards to licensing have started to show yielding a win - win situation for the entire events and experiential marketing industry. This is a big step towards making Delhi an event-friendly city”

Speaking on the development, Rajeev Jain, Treasurer, EEMA stated, “This is indeed a big bold step by the Delhi Govt. & Dept. of Entertainment Tax. Change in the Entertainment Tax depositing framework for EEMA members is certainly a big gift to the industry and number of ticketed & corporate events in the city will see an increase. This directive is a first step to make Delhi an event-friendly city and reinforces the role of the Event Industry as a major stakeholder in the city’s growth.”

Through regular interactions with the Delhi Govt. & Commissioner - Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax to ease the licensing laws in Delhi, the following directives have been issued:

Ticketed Events in Delhi
Ø  EEMA members will now be able to organize their ticketed events in Delhi without submitting any entertainment tax before the event.

Ø  Tax as per the ticket sale can be deposited after the completion of the event. Earlier this was to be done prior to ticket selling permissions being given.

Ø  To facilitate this arrangement, EEMA shall enter into an MOU with the Department of Entertainment Tax.

Ø  EEMA similarly would formulate guidelines for its members availing of this facility.

Ø  EEMA will also be submitting a Bank Guarantee of a stipulated amount as a surety on behalf of its members.

Licensed Auditoriums under single window clearance
Ø  23 auditoriums in the city have been issued a permanent license for holding an event.

Ø  In another major development to achieve ease of doing business, more such venues are under consideration.

Single Window Clearance: Reducing Licensing Hurdles
Ø  The government is in the process of bringing Entertainment Tax, Fire, MCD & Electricity under the purview of a single-window clearance.

The first and only body of its kind, EEMA seeks to bring together the country’s leading Event Management, Sports Management and Brand Activation companies, MICE and Wedding Planners, Experiential Marketers, Entertainment Professionals, Artist Management Companies and International counterparts on the same platform. The institution is steadily becoming a significant body, which is being recognized by the various Governments, ministries & other industry stakeholders.

EEMA along with its key constituents is also engaged in similar discussions with the Maharashtra government and several other states with a view on easing the business processes and thereby generating growth in events featuring culture, music, dance, cinema and art.