Karnataka budget makes fuel, liquor, power costly
Bengaluru, July 5: Petrol, diesel, liquor and power will soon be costly in Karnataka as the budget for 2018-19 on Thursday proposed higher levies on them to generate additional resources.
"I propose to increase tax on petrol and diesel by 2 per cent, (levy) additional excise duty on Indian made liquor brands (at) 4 per cent, tax on captive power (by) 20 paise per unit and motor vehicle tax on commercial vehicles (by) 50 per cent," Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said in his budget speech.
Presenting his maiden budget, Kumaraswamy, who holds the Finance portfolio, told the legislators that he was increasing the levies to generate more revenue and reduce the burden of Rs 34,000 crore worth crop loan waiver on the exchequer.
The 2 per cent hike in the sales tax on petrol to 32 per cent from 30 per cent will increase its price by Rs 1.14 per litre.
Similarly, 2 per cent hike in sales tax on diesel to 21 per cent from 19 per cent will increase its price by Rs 1.12 per litre.
Incidentally, the state-run oil marketing firms increased the fuel prices on Thursday due to rise in international rates and a weakening rupee.
Following the hike, petrol in Bengaluru on Thursday was Rs 76.94 per litre and diesel Rs 68.47 per litre.
The revised excise revenue target will be Rs 19,750 crore as against Rs 18,750 crore set in the provisional budget presented by the previous Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, of the Congress, on February 16 for this fiscal.
Similarly, the state will generate Rs 6,656 crore from the revised motor vehicle tax proposal.
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Bengaluru woman critically injured after fall from hotel balcony during police visit
Bengaluru: A 21-year-old woman sustained serious injuries after she fell from a hotel balcony in Bengaluru early Sunday morning while police were responding to a complaint about loud noise, India Today reported.
The incident took place at a hotel in AECS Layout, within the limits of the HAL police station. Police reportedly said a group of four men and four women had booked rooms at the hotel and were allegedly playing loud music and dancing, prompting nearby residents to alert the police by calling the 112-emergency helpline around 5 am.
During this time, one of the women, a resident of Kundalahalli, allegedly attempted to move out through the balcony using a pipe, lost her balance, and fell onto the hotel’s compound iron grills.
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According to the report, she suffered severe injuries to her head, hands and other parts of the body. Her friends took her to a private hospital in Kundalahalli, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors said her condition remains critical.
Police have registered a complaint at the HAL police station and are investigating the circumstances that led to the incident.
Responding to allegations that police personnel demanded money, police reportedly said, we are not aware of such allegations and are not sure about their aftermath. They added, the police personnel were wearing body cameras, and there is nothing in the footage to support these claims. There is no basis for the allegations.
