Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) managing director A Ramakrishna told The Financial Express that the multiplexes will be eligible for exemption from entertainment duty for a period of 4-5 years. The projects coming up in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will get 100 per cent exemption for four years while in rest of Maharashtra the exemption period will be five years.

These projects will be entitled to stamp duty relief if located outside municipal limits. Investors will get 100 per cent relief in entertainment tax and luxury taxes for four years in MMR while it will be five years in the rest of Maharashtra. Multiplexeswill be supplied power at the industrial rate for five years and they can have tourism related amenities.

The norms for exemptions will vary between projects of Indian entrepreneurs, joint venture projects and those owned by foreign companies. Cinema houses in the multiplexes will be exempted from sales and purchase tax for the cinematographic equipment purchased by them. Moreover, existing cinema houses can also convert into multiplexes.

In a related move, the government has approached union environment ministry to include tourism projects in the Sindhudurg district under coastal regulation zone to promote beach tourism. Incidentally, the district, which has been declared as the "tourism district", is the home district of chief minister Narayan Rane. The government has accepted the Rs 35 crore tourism development plan submitted by the Tata Consultancy Services for Sindhudurg. The government will allocate Rs 20 crore for the implementation of this plan in the current fiscal.

The government has extendedthe package of incentives and tax benefits for 12 years for this district. Investors will be given exemption in sales tax and luxury tax for 10 years and electricity duty will be imposed at industrial rates.

Government land will be available at 50 per cent concessional rates for projects located in Sindhudurg district. There will be no hike in water and power tariff for 10 years.