The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed 19 bills yesterday, including proposals to levy taxes on mineral-rich lands and impose entertainment tax on events conducted in educational institutions.

One of the significant bills passed was related to levying taxes on lands with mineral resources, introduced by Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan. The bill proposes to tax the minerals extracted from such lands. However, this faced opposition from AIADMK MLA Agri Krishnamoorthy, who voiced concerns about the impact of this taxation. Additionally, CPI(M) MLA Nagai Mali requested a reconsideration of the bill.

In response, Minister Durai Murugan clarified that the taxation would be structured in a way that does not affect the general public. After this assurance, the bill was passed through a voice vote.

Another notable bill was the proposal to impose a 10% entertainment tax on cultural programs conducted by educational institutions and other organizations, introduced by Minister of Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru. This bill led to extensive discussions in the Assembly.

AIADMK MLA Agri Krishnamoorthy opposed the bill, stating that taxing cultural events in educational institutions would adversely impact students. CPI(M) MLA Nagai Mali also demanded a reconsideration of the legislation.

In reply, Minister K.N. Nehru clarified that events involving student participation would not be subject to this entertainment tax. Following this explanation, the bill was also passed through a voice vote.

Apart from these two bills, several other significant amendments and bills were passed, including:

Abolition of prison sentences for minor offenses in restaurants.

Amendments to laws governing the issuance of permits for public buildings.

Revisions to the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994.

Amendments to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, 2017.

Changes to the Chennai University Act.

Modifications to the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019.

The Assembly ensured that these amendments align with current administrative practices and address practical challenges faced in their implementation.