Karnataka to hike registration fee for commercial vehicles from May 1: Report
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Bengaluru: Starting May 1, registration fee for commercial vehicles priced within Rs 10 lakh and for those used in the construction sector will be increased as the state government is implementing the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment) Act, despite opposition from commercial vehicle operators.
The lifetime tax for cabs that cost less than Rs 10 lakh will be 5 percent of the cost of the vehicle, as reported by The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
The report noted that, until now, lifetime taxes were not levied in a lump sum on commercial vehicles (taxis) costing less than Rs 10 lakh; instead, taxes were collected quarterly at a rate of Rs 100 per seat for a four-seater vehicle.
“So every commercial vehicle priced within Rs 10 lakh annually paid tax of around Rs 1,800, including the cess. But now, the slabs have been revised and we have to pay lifetime tax at one go,” TNIE quoted K. Radhakrishna Holla, president, Karnataka State Travel Operators’ Association, as saying.
He added that buyers of vehicles priced within Rs 10 lakh, which include most commercial vehicles, will now have to pay approximately Rs 50,000 as lifetime tax upfront at the time of registration.
As per the revised slabs, those purchasing vehicles in the Rs 10–15 lakh range will be required to pay 9 percent of the vehicle’s cost as lifetime tax. Additionally, buyers of vehicles priced at Rs 15 lakh and above will now be required to pay 15 percent of the vehicle’s cost as lifetime tax.
Electric vehicles (EVs) priced above Rs 25 lakh were exempted from road tax. But now, it will now attract a 10 percent tax on the vehicle’s cost.
However, Radhakrishna Holla warned that taxing high-end EVs could further slow the state’s already lagging adoption of electric vehicles. “At this juncture, the government should not be levying taxes on e-vehicles. It will discourage people from operating commercial e-cars,” he said.
Vehicles used in the construction sector, as well as those equipped with air compressors and generators, will attract a lifetime tax of 8 percent of the vehicle’s cost, added the report.
The state government has set a revenue target of Rs 15,000 crore for the Transport Department in the 2025–26 fiscal year, with the revised taxation expected to boost collections.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS, founded in 1925, describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
