BJP slams Karnataka Cong govt's move to end tax exemption given to EV four-wheelers
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP has slammed the state government's move to end tax exemption given to battery-operated four-wheelers like cars and omni buses and claimed the move will make electric vehicles costlier.
State BJP President B Y Vijayendra accused the Congress government of taxing Karnataka's future to pay for its "failures".
Karnataka government plans to introduce a lifetime tax for electric vehicles, including motor cars, jeeps, omni buses and private service vehicles. However, electric two-wheelers will continue to be exempted from tax.
Under the revised structure proposed in the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has been passed by the state legislature, the tax will range from 5 per cent to 8 per cent based on the vehicle cost.
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Until now, Karnataka has been levying a 10 per cent lifetime tax only on EVs priced above Rs 25 lakh since 2024, and has exempted others aimed at promoting cleaner mobility.
"Karnataka had built real momentum in electric mobility. Years of tax support helped position the state as a serious player in India's EV ecosystem, encouraged investment, and made consumers more confident about shifting away from fuel dependence," Vijayendra posted on 'X'.
He said, at a time when global instability threatens fresh fuel price shocks, any responsible government would make EVs more affordable and more accessible. "Instead, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has chosen to tax this very alternative."
As per the Bill, EVs priced up to Rs 10 lakh will attract a 5 per cent tax, those between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh will be taxed at 8 per cent, and vehicles above Rs 25 lakh will attract 10 per cent tax.
Stating that the decision is a direct result of a government that has pushed the state's finances into distress and is now hunting for revenue wherever it can find it, the state BJP chief said, "With departments under pressure to meet inflated collection targets, Karnataka's green mobility transition is being sacrificed for short-term cash."
"A middle-class family trying to move to an electric vehicle will now be forced to pay a heavy additional burden simply because this government can no longer fund its political promises without punishing progress. It is very clear that Congress has no growth plan, only a collection plan."
The damage goes beyond cost, Vijayendra said, adding that "Bengaluru already ranks among the top 3 cities in the country for road traffic emissions, and yet Congress has chosen to make cleaner mobility harder, not easier. First, they mortgaged the future through reckless debt. Now they are taxing the very solutions that could protect the next generation."
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Woman techie dies by suicide in Hyderabad over 'dowry harassment'
Hyderabad (PTI): A 26-year-old woman software professional from Bihar allegedly died by suicide at her residence here due to "harassment" by her husband for additional dowry, police said on Thursday.
The woman was found hanging from the ceiling fan in the hall of the flat on Wednesday by her husband.
On receiving information about the incident, the police reached the spot and conducted inquiry.
Based on the complaint filed by the woman's family members, a case was registered at Miyapur Police Station and her husband was taken into custody.
According to a police official, the deceased woman, a native of Bihar, befriended a man from Madhya Pradesh through on a social media platform in 2020, and since the last five years they were in a live-in relationship.
In February this year, they got married in Patna in the presence of their family members. After marriage, the couple were staying in an apartment in Miyapur here.
However, recently some differences cropped up between the couple as her husband was allegedly mentally harassing her for additional dowry, the official said.
Further, the woman's husband, who set up a start-up company, was also harassing her family members to invest in his firm, police said.
Unable to bear the harassment, she died by suicide, the official said, based on preliminary investigation.
The accused has been apprehended and further investigation is underway, police added.
