Budget dedicated to poor, farmers: UP DyCM Keshav Maurya
In a tweet in Hindi, Maurya said, "The Budget of the Modi government, which was presented, is wonderful, and (we) welcome it. The Budget is dedicated to the poor, farmers and youth. Additional arrangements made for road construction indicates development-oriented thought process."
"The people of Uttar Pradesh have got maximum benefit of the Budget because of the double-engine government, and they will get it," he said.
However, Lucknow-based senior tax lawyer Ashish Kumar Tripathi said the Budget offered no relief to the salaried and middle classes even in times of pandemic as there were pay cuts and spiralling inflation, which hit these sections the most.
"The Union Finance Minister has betrayed India's salaried class. The Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister have deeply disappointed them in direct tax measures and there is no change in the income tax slab," Tripathi said.
Belying expectations, Finance Minister Sitharaman did not tinker with the personal income tax rates in the Budget for 2022-23.
The minister also did not raise standard deduction, which was widely anticipated in view of elevated inflation levels and impact of the pandemic on the middle class.
The standard deduction currently stands at Rs 50,000.
There was no change in income tax slabs in the personal income tax category in the Budget unveiled on Tuesday. PTI NAV CK