January 18th, 2009
Shahrukh Khan may have ruled the box office in 2008, with 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' beating Akshay Kumar's record of 'Singh is Kinng,' but that wasn't the case when it came to paying taxes! With his numerous endorsement deals and his own company, Red Chillies, Shahrukh usually turns out to be the country's highest tax payer. But with no releases from Red Chillies in 2008, that wasn't the case. According to the income tax department, Akshay has paid the highest advance tax this year: Rs 19 crores!! Talk about a lot of dough! Shahrukh has paid Rs 15 crores. Phew! Either way that's a whole lot of moolah!
Unlike last year, Red Chillies didn't pay any advance tax this year. In 2007, they paid 2.5 crore, probably due to the success of 'Om Shanti Om.' Funny isn't it though, as Akshay beats Shahrukh, it's bittersweet as he has to shell out more cash, which is never a good thing especially in these economic times. But we're pretty sure Akshay's not having any problems, especially with the whirlwind tour he's been enjoying with the premieres of 'Chandni Chowk to China.'
Guess the Kinng beat the Baadshah in this round, but let's see if he can do it again with 'Chandni Chowk to China' releasing this Friday!
