ETtech Explainer: How Karnataka’s gig worker tax could change the app economy

Karnataka is mulling a differential levy on app-based services to fund social security for gig and platform workers—a move that could influence other states and the broader policy landscape around the gig economy in India.

The big picture:

Karnataka is planning to introduce differential fees on app-based platforms—like ride-hailing, food delivery, and e-commerce—to fund welfare schemes for gig workers.

The idea is to create a dedicated social security corpus with the revenue collected from these fees, amid rising concerns over the working…