The government one of India's poorest states just imposed a 'luxury' tax on samosas
India's northern Bihar state added samosas to the list of 23 "luxury items" that will be taxed at 13.5%, according to the BBC.
The government said that this tax was added in order "to fund development work,"according to NDTV.
Samosas, a popular street food, are savory fried or baked pastries filled with potatoes, peas, or lentils, and sometimes served with a mint sauce or chutney.
Other items on the list include mosquito repellent, auto parts, battery parts, sand, cosmetics, and all sweets that cost more that 500 rupees ($7.50) per kilogram.
Given that Bihar is one of the poorest states in India, this decision is not likely to go unnoticed by regular people.
Indeed, politicians have already jumped to criticizing the tax.
"I think [Chief Minister Nitish Kumar] and [president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal party] Lalu have decided to trouble the poor more. They have not done anything for Bihar; I wonder why they are making the poor people's life tougher here. Imposing tax on items like samosas and kachoris is insane," current spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party Shahnawaz Hussain said.
Bihar government imposing luxury tax on items like samosa & kachori is ridiculous as they are luxuries for the poor only.
- Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) January 13, 2016
The government also waved an "entertainment tax" on a forthcoming film called "Chalk N Duster" because of its "strong social message."
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- Markets rebound in early trade amid global rally, buying in ICICI Bank and Reliance
- Women in Leadership
- Rupee declines 5 paise to 83.43 against US dollar in early trade
- Election Commission issues notification for sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls
- 6 Coffee recipes you should try this summer