Salman emerges the `tiger` among Bollywood taxpayers

Mumbai: After a string of Rs 100 crore grossing films including `Dabangg`, `Ready`, `Bodyguard` and `Ek Tha Tiger`, actor Salman Khan has emerged as the highest taxpayer from the tinsel town for the September quarter. Salman, 46, trumped all his peers and rivals from Bollywood by paying Rs 8 crore in advance tax as compared to the Rs 5 crore in the same period a year ago, an income tax official told PTI here today. Salman was last seen in romantic-action-thriller `Ek Tha Tiger`, which has clocked approximately Rs 198 crore at the box office. The film`s female lead and Salman`s speculated former lady love in real life, Katrina Kaif, paid Rs 2.60 crore compared to the year ago period`s Rs 1.70 crore. Salman`s bete noire Shah Rukh Khan, who has not had any big release this year as yet, had his tax outgo flat at Rs 5 crore, the official said. Among the other Khans, Aamir`s fortunes seem to have been hurt by his mega reality show Satyamev Jayate, as he paid only Rs 3.25 crore this September versus last year`s Rs 4.50 crore. Saif Ali Khan, whose films `Agent Vinod` and `Cocktail` had varying responses at the box office, paid a tax of Rs three crore compared to Rs 1.7 crore in the year ago period, the official said. Kareena Kapoor, who is set to be marrying Saif soon, and is looking forward to the release of the film `Heroine` has paid an advance tax of Rs 2.20 crore compared to Rs 1.5 crore she did in the same period last year. Akshay Kumar, another big name in Bollywood, paid Rs 7.5 crore advance tax in comparison to Rs 5 crore he had paid last year during the same period. Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who will soon be celebrating his 70th birthday, paid Rs 5 crore against the Rs 1.4 crore he paid last year while his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan`s outgo jumped to Rs three crore from Rs 1.1 crore, the official said. Big B, who was at one point of time at the brink of bankruptcy, has only had one release this year in `Department` which was a box office failure. Interestingly, Aishwarya has also been away from the silver screen since Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s `Guzaarish` released in 2010. Meanwhile, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar paid an advance tax of Rs two crore in comparison to Rs 1.75 crore in the same period last year, the official said. Apart from B-town celebrities, high profile lawyers also had fortunes with Zia Mody emerging the highest with a September quarter payment at Rs 3 crore versus the Rs 2 crore in the year ago. Senior counsel Fali Nariman (Rs 1.80 crore versus last year`s Rs 2.10 crore) and corporate lawyer Cyril Shroff (Rs 1 crore versus Rs 1.10 crore) saw a decline in their tax outgoes, the official added. Advance tax is a system of staggered payment of tax liabilities and is payable every quarter, based on estimated profits. PTI