10% tax on temple offerings… Why is there an uproar over the decision of Karnataka’s Congress government?

The Karnataka government on Wednesday passed the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill in the Assembly. Today the bill is expected to be introduced in the Legislative Council, where the BJP and JD(S) are in majority. This bill states that the government will collect 10 percent tax on the income of temples whose revenue is more than Rs 1 crore. Regarding this, the opposition party BJP is continuously attacking the Siddaramaiah government of the state.

BJP is alleging that the Congress government of Karnataka is adopting anti-Hindu policies and it is bound to lead to violence, fraud and misuse of funds. On the other hand, the state government has rejected all the allegations and said that 10% tax will be taken only on temples with revenue of more than ₹ 1 crore.

The government claims that the money collected will be used for “religious council” purposes to improve the financial condition of priests and to improve C-grade temples or temples that are in very poor condition and to provide financial assistance to temple priests. The children will be given quality education.