Shashi Tharoor’s hilarious Coldplay jibe at Sitharaman’s income tax cuts: ‘Coldplay says fix you, FM says tax you’

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took a witty dig at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget 2025, using a Coldplay-inspired metaphor. Known for his sharp humour, Tharoor critiqued the budget in an Instagram reel, saying, “Coldplay says ‘Fix You,’ but the Finance Minister says ‘Tax You.’”

Tharoor quipped, “Even Chris Martin wouldn’t be able to find paradise in these numbers. But don’t worry, they’ll still say, ‘Look at the stars, look at how they are shining for you,’ while conveniently dimming the light of reality—and your bank accounts.”

"As the budget debate wraps up, let’s cut through the noise and face the facts: The GST still crushes essential items, income tax cuts are framed as a favour, and fuel prices remain a tangled mess of VAT, excise, and state taxes—with no real effort to fix the system. Who actually wins here? People don’t mind taxes—if they bring value. We need policies that drive real growth, not just short-term fixes. Because right now, “nobody said it was easy”, Tharoor wrote on Instagram.

Key income tax announcements from the Budget 2025

1)No income tax on annual income up to ₹12.75 lakh

The government has raised the Section 87A rebate limit from ₹7 lakh to ₹12 lakh, providing major tax relief to the middle class. Salaried individuals can also claim a ₹75,000 standard deduction, making incomes up to ₹12.75 lakh tax-free.

2)Tax slab structure under the new tax regime:

₹0 – ₹4 lakh → No Tax

₹4 lakh – ₹8 lakh → 5%

₹8 lakh – ₹12 lakh → 10%

₹12 lakh – ₹16 lakh → 15%

₹16 lakh – ₹20 lakh → 20%

₹20 lakh – ₹24 lakh → 25%

₹24 lakh & above → 30%

3) New Income Tax Bill in the budget session

The government also announced plans to introduce a new Income Tax Bill, which will likely be tabled at 2 today in Lok Sabha.

4) Higher tax-free interest income

Senior citizens can now earn up to ₹1 lakh interest tax-free (previously ₹50,000).

5) Extended time for filing updated returns (ITR-U)

Taxpayers now get 4 years (instead of 2) to update their Income Tax Returns.