FM Sitharaman made mockery of people of India in budget by doing absolutely nothing: TMC MP Mahua Moitra
Mahua Moitra on Tuesday hit out at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, saying she has made a mockery of people of India in the budget by doing absolutely nothing and whatever little changes are there are regressive and ill thought of. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Moitra criticized the budget for failing to address the needs of the common people.
«People wanted a course correction, but you have done the exact opposite. You have kept the same Cabinet, the same Finance Minister, who has given the same shoddy budget,» Moitra said.
«The Finance Minister has made mockery of people of India in the budget by doing absolutely nothing, whatever little changes are there are regressive and ill thought of,» she added.
The TMC MP questioned the purpose of the budget, highlighting its adverse impact on the middle class and the poor.
«Who is this budget for? The middle class makes up 31 per cent of India and the poor account for 60-65 per cent. This budget systematically strangles both groups. It is a 'save the chair' budget for this government and even that it doesn't do very well,» she asserted.
Moitra explained the imbalance in the tax system, noting the direct taxes are progressive while indirect taxes are regressive.
«In India, it is the exact opposite — 65 per cent of tax collection comes from indirect taxes where billionaires pay the same as the poorest labourers and only 35 per cent comes from direct taxes,» she pointed out.
«For the first time in our country's history, the salaried class is sharing a greater tax
