How much do Sunburn promoters owe Goa exchequer, asks HC

Panaji, Feb 20 : The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Goa Chief Secretary seeking to know the due amount owed to the state government by Percept Limit, an event management agency which hosts ‘Sunburn’, a popular electronic dance festival.

In its order passed on Wednesday, a division bench of Justice Nutan Sardesai and Justice M.S. Sonak directed the state government’s counsel Pravin Faldessai to make a "statement as to the precise amount of dues/money owed" by the Sunburn organisers to the state exchequer on February 22.

The order follows a petition filed by Trajano D’Mello, who had demanded that before the festival, this time called Sunburn Klassique, gets underway in Goa on February 23, the company should pay the dues.

According to the state government reply tabled in the state Legislative Assembly in 2017, Sunburn’s promoters owe the state exchequer nearly Rs 6.29 crore towards entertainment tax, police deployment charges etc.

The festival used to be a regular feature of Goa’s year-end festivities and would attract hundreds of thousands of music lovers.

However, over the last few years, the festival shifted out of Goa, amid complaints that the state government was levying exorbitant fees.