Bengaluru, 18 September

The State BJP unit came down heavily on the GBA's proposed software charge on property taxpayers, alleging that the levy lacked transparency and legal justification.

Sharing an image of a receipt from Bengaluru City’s West Corporation, State BJP President BY Vijayendra alleged on Thursday that the GBA is now adding a “software charge” of Rs 200 for residential properties and Rs 1,000 for commercial buildings to the annually collected property tax.

"What exactly are citizens paying for? Why should people separately fund the government's software system? Where is the legal basis, cost breakup and public accountability,” he asked on X on Thursday night.

Calling it "another bill pushed onto taxpayers without a clear explanation", Vijayendra asked the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to either justify the levy or withdraw it.

"Is this not looting in broad daylight," he asked.

"For Congress Karnataka unit and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, every new excuse to generate money seems to end at the same destination: the taxpayer's pocket," Vijayendra said.

BJP MLA DR C Ashwath Narayan, in a statement on X, said that the Congress government should prioritise “people-centric governance” instead of “adding more financial burdens on the people of Bengaluru, who are already under the weight of various taxes and fees.”

The JD(S) X handle, meanwhile, called it a “backdoor tax” and questioned why people are being made to pay for software maintenance.