Personal income tax is one of the topics that people, especially the middle- and salaried-class, look forward to most in the Union Budget.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget 2023 speech announced a rebate on income upto Rs 7 lakhs under the new tax regime, meaning that people earning up to Rs 7 lakhs annually will not have to pay income tax.
The rebate slab has been increased from Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 7 lakhs.
The tax exemption is being seen as a big relief for the common man and is being marked as a populist move ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The announcement largely drew happy reactions from netizens who hailed the move.
#MiddleClassZindabad has been trending on Twitter with netizens celebrating the announcement. A memefest has also started with users posting funny photos, dance videos on income tax relief.
A user hilariously wrote, "Time to discuss tax slabs with my manager during my appraisal."
However, some users raised confusion over the announcement asking, "how is it 0 tax for people under 7 lacs?"
Some users pointed to how there was no discussion on other policies with a focus only on income tax slabs.
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