Bengaluru: Bengalureans could find all their bills, including their cable TV bills, shooting up to worrisome amounts, thanks to the state government hiking various tariffs.
Liquor will be dearer in the state from April with the excise duty on beer having doubled from Rs 5 to Rs 10 and the excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor going up to Rs 50 from Rs 45. The Chief Minister has also hiked additional excise duty on liquor by between four and 12 per cent across all 17 slabs. With Value Added Tax (VAT) on aerated and carbonated beverages, including soft drinks and soft drink concentrates, rising to 20 per cent, they too will cost more.
As people prepare to shell out more on almost all fronts, be it power supply, liquor, petrol or diesel, and pay a higher, property tax and stamp duty, Deccan Chronicle assesses public reaction to the bigger bills. Hike next year will be an
electoral disaster “Income and salaries of people are not keeping pace with the rise in prices which means middle class saving will fall drastically. Since the state assembly elections are due in 2018, I guess this will be the last time the Siddaramaiah government hikes the taxes. A hike next year will be an electoral disaster for it,” says Mr Arun Kumar of Rajajinagar.
Property tax hike too much
“Not all properties are in the tax net and so before hiking the property tax, the
authorities should have conducted a survey and updated their database. After this they could have decided on increasing the tax when necessary in small increments. A 20 per cent hike is a lot for an honest tax payer when that there are several out there evading tax one way or the other,” says Dr. Meenakshi Bharath of Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative, suggesting that rather than focusing on property tax, the BBMP should explore other options to increase its revenue, such as taxing car owners who park on roads, and maximising its revenue from advertisements.
Hike in Prices of essential commodities
“I am a techie, running a commercial space for servicing and sales of computers. I expect to pay at least Rs 200 or 300 more for my monthly electrical bill from May onwards. With the fuel price cess added from Friday , prices of all essential commodities will gradually rise. I am worried at having to pay more for my daily needs from my existing income,” says Mr Bijoy of Vivek Nagar.
