The Karnataka Congress government is getting ready to implement taxes on temples. ‘Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024’, which was introduced in the state assembly, has also been passed in relation to this. ‘Anti-Hindu’ is how the Bharatiya Janata Party has described the Karnataka government. The party claims that by taxing temples, Congress is attempting to replenish its empty coffers.
Congress, according to the BJP, is implementing anti-Hindu policies. The Karnataka Assembly passed a bill on Wednesday that allows the government to implement tax on temples that bring in more than Rs 1 crore a year at a rate of 10%. Additionally, it has been stated that temples earning between Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 1 crore must pay 5% tax.
Vijayendra Yediyurappa called Congress to be ‘anti-hindu’
Son of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, state president of the BJP, Vijayendra Yediyurappa, declared, “The Congress government, which is continuously adopting anti-Hindu policies in the state.” The Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024 was passed in order to replenish the depleted treasury, and it now has its sights set on the income from Hindu temples.
“Under this, temples with income exceeding Rs 1 crore will pay 10 percent tax to the government,” he stated. Poverty is all that exists here. The temple’s renovation and the devotees’ comfort should be the recipients of the offerings made to the Lord by the faithful. He questioned why the targets were limited to Hindu temples.
On this, Congress has also taken offence. Ramalinga Reddy, a minister in the state government, has charged the BJP with influencing politics through religion. He asserted that the Congress is the real Hindutva ally.