[Satellite TODAY 03-25-11] Indian satellite operators criticized India’s government for instituting taxation policies that show “preferential tax treatment of cable operators over satellite,” according to a CASBAA statement issued March 24 from the organization’s forum in New Delhi.
   The complaints focused on India’s 35 percent DTH tax, which were characterized as an “unheard-of burden for an entertainment product that is an everyday experience for hundreds of millions of Indians,” CASBAA said.
   The satellite operators also voiced dismay regarding restrictions for retail prices that do not apply to cable operators. “Time and again we heard that companies are hard pressed to make money in the content industry thanks to regulatory constraints, under-declaration, high carriage fees and rising costs. India’s backward-looking government approach is one of the biggest problems facing the regional industry,” CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies said in a statement.