24/10/2013
NEWS STORY
Already dropped from the 2014 schedule, a legal case is threatening this weekend's event.
India's Supreme Court is to hear a petition tomorrow (Friday) seeking the cancellation of the race on the grounds that event organisers have not paid entertainment taxes for the 2012 Grand Prix.
"We will hear the petition tomorrow," said Chief Justice P. Sathasivam in court today.
Two years ago the Supreme Court froze 25 percent of ticket revenues until a tax dispute with the state in which the Buddh International Circuit is located. That particular ruling was in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Amit Kumar, the campaigner behind the latest petition.
In 2001 Kumar successfully argued that Formula One is entertainment and not a sport and should not therefore benefit from tax exemptions granted by the state of Uttar Pradesh. Entertainment tax, which is applicable for large scale events and sponsored festivals, has already been levied on tickets this year.
"Whatever the court says, we are ready to follow," said a spokesperson for Jaypee Sports International Limited, the Buddh International Circuit's owner.
F1 entertaining. Are they kidding?
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