scene 1 a scintillating landscape by an eminent painter at a mumbai exhibition pocket pinch rs 500000 scene 2 same artist same landscape at an exhibition in kolkata pocket pinch maximum rs 437500 the collector saves rs 62500 buy any painting in kolkata and get a flat 125 off the catch theres none only an art buyer in kolkata doesnt need to shell out the 125 vat imposed everywhere else in india while galleries and traders cheer the low exhibition cost in kolkata the reputation of bengal art and the sheer volume of city artists spread across the country are also key factors that are drawing a flood of buyers pocket friendly affordable pricing is definitely a driving force feels moushumi mukherjee owner of nakshatra gallery anjan majumdar art collector and business consultant seconds her the other metros are expensive places to host exhibitions kolkata artwork also offers better value for money as in the painting id buy for rs 50000 here would cost twice or thrice the amount in delhi he adds the absence of 125 vat is a gamechanger points out vikram bachhawat the director of aakriti gallery if one buys an artwork for rs 1 crore in kolkata theres an automatic saving of over rs 12 lakh also if a topoftheline gallery show at colaba costs rs 6 lakh a show at a gallery of the same standard at park street would cost around rs 15 lakh more the merrier the federation of indian chambers of commerce and industry fihad recently submitted a memorandum to the union ministry of culture seeking abolition of customs duty on import of artwork to india mousumi ghose senior director ficci west bengal state council says luckily we have zero vat but there is also a 145 customs duty that ficci recommends should be rolled back art is considered a rich mans domain and to make art available to the masses the prices should be affordable youngsters and salaried persons would then have a wider range to choose from art houses are equally interested ive got calls from houses which want to set up their headquarters in kolkata the low infrastructure costs and the absence of vat are attracting more business i welcome such moves as i believe competition in a market is healthy says bachhawat painter shuvaprasanna says buyers are coming back the prices are also more realistic now but not everyone agrees with the affordability logic for these people quality is the main reason why kolkata has become the art hub art dealer sabyasachi sen observes its true that kolkata prices are much lower compared with mumbai and delhi but theres much more demand in the other two cities as well i feel the demand for bengal artists is owing to their talent the quality of bengal art is incomparable theres also heavy demand for kolkata artists in other metros quality quantity bengal leads in both says rathin barman a tripuraborn sculptor who is now settled in kolkata