"Taxing everything...": BJP's BY Vijayendra slams Congress-led Karnataka govt over price rise, garbage cess

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 1 (ANI): Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra has launched a blistering attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government over the issue of price hike, saying that the government is taxing everything as if it ran out of money to fulfil the guarantees they had promised.
Speaking to reporters, the BJP leader said, "They are taxing on everything as they're failing to fulfill the amount for guarantees. State government gives in the name of guarantee in one hand and in other all ways its looting the people, we are protesting against it.
The Karnataka BJP is staging a series of protests against the Congress government in Karnataka over the price rise.
Vijayendra further called Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the state government "arrogant", adding that it is opposition's responsibility to create awareness among people.
He said, "BJP is carrying out massive protest against ruling Congress government on April 2. All our MLAs, MLCs, former MLAs, we are protesting against the price hike at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. In second phase, on April 7 onwards, entire BJP team, all our MLAs, MPs, Central Ministers, we have already planned and announced Jana Aakrosh Yatra. This yatra will start from April 7 from Mysuru. Minister Pralhad Joshi will inaugurate this yatra. We will protest against the 4 per cent reservation for Muslim in government contracts. This government and CM is very arrogant. They believe if they have majority they can do anything, but, today people are cursing Siddaramaiah and the government, so it is responsibility of opposition BJP to take up this issue and create awareness among people."
Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has implemented a "garbage cess" under which the residents of Bengaluru will have to pay a solid waste management user fee effective from April 1.
After hike in the rate of milk, electricity, BBMP has now decided to enforce a new tax. The BBMP has decided to raise the cost of garbage and disposal every month and a "garbage cess" is being implemented in Bangalore starting from today.
The solid waste management company will now make a cess on trash every month. Different types of tax are being levied for shops, hotels, and residential buildings.
According to BBMP, hotels previously paid Rs 5 per kg of garbage. The cess has now been raised to Rs 12.
The cess rate is set for residential buildings in the square feet of the building. Buildings ranging upto 600 square feet will have to pay Rs 10 per month while buildings ranging from 600 square feet to 1000 square feet will have to pay Rs 50.
Building ranging from 1000-2000 square feet will have to pay Rs 100 per month while it is Rs 150 per month for buildings from 2000-3000 square feet.
Rs 200 will be collected per month for buildings from 3000-4000 square feet while Rs 400 will be collected per month for buildings above 4000 square feet.
BBMP will pay trash tax annually in property tax. The new decision of the BBMP is expected to raise Rs 600 crore annually. It has come forward to raise money from various sources to fill the coffers.
Karnataka LoP and BJP MLA R Ashoka slammed for the government for implementing the 'garbage cess'. Hitting out at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over this tax, Ashoka questioned if this is being collected to "get the CM's chair".
In a social media post on X, Ashoka wrote, "The government, which failed to dispose of Bengaluru's garbage and turned Silicon City into a garbage city @INCKarnataka has now fixed fees for garbage collection as well. It seems that they have decided to fill their coffers in the name of garbage disposal by promising to make Bangalore City a garbage-free city. DCM @DKShivakumar Sir, they robbed in the name of brand Bangalore, now they loot in the name of garbage too? Is this Bihar election expenditure or a bribe to get the CM's chair?" (ANI)