Luxury weddings may soon have to pay the price, literally, in Karnataka
Anand G, a businessman in Bangalore, is determined to give his 22-year-old daughter the fairytale wedding she grew up dreaming of.
It's an AmEx black-card version of a fairytale, judging from the
sangeet that was held on Monday in Bangalore. Designated
de rigeuer by his princess was a five-star venue, guests and chefs from at least 10 countries, and a phalanx of brand-name DJs.
Big fat weddings like these across Karnataka could soon be crashed by a new luxury tax the government wants to impose. Weddings that cost more than Rs five lakhs or have 1,000 invitees will have to pay the price, according to a proposal that the state's law-makers will discuss later this month.
The amount of tax has not yet been decided.
"Lavishly they spend money on one side, so much food is wasted. And those in rural areas are imitating this by selling their available property to afford such unnecessary expenditure." said TB Jayachandra, the Law Minister of Karnataka.
He added, "People spend up to Rs 7,000 for each invitation card, while there are those who do not have a guaranteed meal a day".
Special officials will be assigned to visit weddings for surprise checks; vendors hired will also be quizzed about cash payments. The government says the taxes collected from top-end weddings will be used, Robin Hood-like, to sponsor the marriages of young women from poor families.
"See, we pay already such high taxes like 23 per cent and all. Above that we pay tax separately for the hotel bill, the taxi bill, the food bill. Everything is paid in cheque. How much more tax can we pay?" laments Mr Anand, the father of the bride with a very expensive vision.
For the recent Bangalore wedding of the grand-daughter of a veteran politician, close to 50,000 people were invited for each event. The celebrations lasted three days. There are those who question whether those in power will be exempted from the new rules of engagement.