Devotees equate the tax imposed by the Bihar government on temples to ‘Jizya’, demand complete rollback

The imposition of taxes on temples has infuriated devotees in Bihar

December 3, 2021

The decision of Bihar government on temples causes furore amongst devotees

In a shocking decision taken by the Bihar State Board of Religious Trust, the temples in Bihar will have to get themselves registered and pay 4% as tax of the total income.

This includes the temples built by individuals in their residential premises which are open for the public will also come under the ambit of this new diktat.

By taking this decision, the Bihar State Board of Religious Trust has invited furore from the right-wing activists and devotees.

Many devotees have lashed out at the state government for the new taxation policy in the name service charge and equated it to Jizya tax.

As per the reports, if a temple is situated within the boundary wall of a house it will be considered a private or personal temple.

However, if a temple is outside the fence of a house where more than one family worships and makes offerings, then it will be considered public.

The 4% tax is made mandatory for every public temple and each temple to get itself registered and once registration is complete, the prescribed tax has to be paid.

The imposition of service charges on temples has infuriated devotees as there are several temples built within residential premises.

Congress and AIMIM took this opportunity to slam the Nitish Kumar government for their decision.

According to Times Now, Tulsayan Saigal, Assistant Superintendent of Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts said that it is not a tax but an annual service charge.

BJP national spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh, Minister of Environment & Forest Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu, and BJP MLA Lalan Paswan have also expressed their reservations on the issue.

PGurus is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with all the latest news and views

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.