Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she understood the pressures of the middle class as she too belongs to the same strata. She also added that the present BJP government has not imposed any fresh taxes on the middle class. Sitharaman was speaking at a function organised by the RSS-associated weekly Panchjanya magazine. She was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI, “I too belong to the middle class so I can understand the pressures of the middle class. I identify myself with the middle class so I know.” The Union Minister further said those having an income of up to Rs 5 lakh are exempt from income tax and that no fresh taxes have been imposed on the middle class. She added that the government has taken measures such as developing the metro rail network in 27 cities and building 100 smart cities to promote ease of living.
Sitharaman further assured that the government can do more for the middle class since its population is growing and has become sizeable. She said, “I quite recognize their problems. The government has done a lot for them and [continues to do] the same. ”The government has raised the allocation towards capital expenditure in every Union Budget since 2020, the minister said. She noted the capex has been increased by 35 per cent to Rs 7.5 lakh crore for the current year. Besides this, she also commented about farmers and freebies. With regards to farmers, Sitharaman said the BJP-led Central government is committed to doubling their income and has taken various steps in the direction. Speaking about freebies, she said promises have to be made while factoring in the financial health of the state and there needs to be full transparency about it. Sitharaman will present Union Budget for 2023-24 in the Lok Sabha on February 1 amid expectations that the government will raise the income tax limit and provide relief to middle-class taxpayers, besides others.