increase taxes in the last two years with the intention of not burdening people during the Covid-19 pandemic, said finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a post-Budget press conference on Tuesday. "I did not increase the taxes.
I want to repeat this - I did not do it last year as well as this year. I did not make any attempt to earn a single paisa through taxes," said Sitharaman. “Last year, the prime minister had ordered us not to increase taxes during the pandemic time, even if there is a huge fiscal deficit.
He said the public should not face the additional burden of taxes during this time. The instructions were the same this time around too," she added.
This comes as the Union Budget 2022-23 did not tinker with the personal income tax rates, belying several expectations. Sitharaman also did not raise the standard deduction, which was widely anticipated in view of elevated inflation levels and the impact of the pandemic on the middle class.
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