Watch: Satirist Akash Banerjee breaks down the Union Budget and its impact on middle-class Indians
‘They had to show something new, so they gave us coins of Rs 20’: Akash Banerjee
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In the latest episode of his web-based show The Deshbhakt, satirist Akash Banerjee discussed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2019. “They have increased the taxes on imported books by 5% so that people can educate themselves on WhatsApp,” he said.
Banerjee listed what he considers the major problems with Sitharaman’s Budget: It included no expenditure details, no “big-bang reforms” despite the mandate, no plan to revive the economy. And, he added, it gave a boost to protectionism.
In fact, according to Banerjee, the Budget did not have much for the middle-class Indians other than an additional tax deduction for home loans taken up to March 2020.