“Are we here to eat peanuts? Our tax is being taken by other states," K'taka minister slams Budget
Bengaluru: Revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda has strongly criticised the Union Budget for 2025-26, calling it “a black chapter” for the state and accusing the central government of sidelining Karnataka’s demands.
Gowda claimed that the citizens of Karnataka were being “reduced to slaves” as their tax contributions were funnelled into other states.
He highlighted that Bihar, in particular, has been allocated several new programs in the Union Budget, while Karnataka received no significant benefits. "Karnataka's tax money is going to other states. Bihar alone has got 5-6 programmes. Are we, in Karnataka, here to eat just peanuts? We should pay tax and get only chombu (empty mug)," remarked Gowda.
He further expressed his frustration, stating that the state’s people, who work hard and pay taxes, seem to be overlooked by the union government, which he claimed is more focused on Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He also pointed out that Bengaluru, which generates jobs for people across the country, was notably absent from the Union Budget’s key allocations.
In a similar vein, Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also slammed the Union Budget, calling it a “huge let-down” for the people of the state. “This budget is a big blow not just to the aspirations of Karnataka but to the very foundation of democracy, where a government is openly showing its bias against the people of a state, denying them their right to prosperity, equality, and development,” he said.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
