Shashi Tharoor’s sarcastic take on zero Income Tax up to ₹12 lakh: What happens if we don’t have salary?

Income Tax Budget: “The important question is, what happens if we don't have a salary?” Congress MP Shashi Tharoor commented on the new income tax proposal announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Budget 2025 speech on Saturday. FM Sitharaman announced the abolition of income tax until ₹12 lakh under the new tax regime.

However, the Thiruvananthapuram MP was also quick to flag unemployment in India and said, “Where is the income going to come from? For you to benefit from income tax relief, you actually need jobs.”

“Unemployment was not mentioned by the Finance Minister,” Congress MP said, adding, “If you have a salary, you may be paying less tax”.

“I think frankly the applause you heard from the BJP benches was for the middle-class tax cut. We look at the details, and that may be a good thing,” Tharoor said.

Shashi Tharoor further emphasised the pie-sized benefits announced for Bihar and sarcastically remarked, “It is ironic that the party that wants one nation, one election is actually using each election each state each year to give them more freebies.”

“They may as well have multiple elections so they can get more applause from their allies,” the Congress MP added.

What did FM Sitharaman Announce for Bihar?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, proposed to establish a Board for makhana or foxnuts, a nutritious food that is widely produced and consumed in Bihar.

“Makhna Board will be established in Bihar to improve production, processing, value addition and marketing of Makhana. The people engaged in these activities will be organized into FPOs. The board will provide handholding and training support to Makhana farmers and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant government schemes,” Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She also announced that Greenfield airports will be felicitated in Bihar, in addition to expanding the capacity of the Patna Airport and a brownfield airport in Bihta.

Presenting the Union Budget, FM Sitharaman said, “Greenfield airports will be felicitated in Bihar to meet the future needs of the state. These will be in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport in Bihta.”

She also highlighted the Western Kosi Canal ERM project in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar.

“Financial support will be provided for the Western Kosi Canal ERM project, benefitting a large number of farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar,” she said.

The Finance Minister also announced the establishment of the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar to provide a strong fillip to food processing activities in the entire Eastern region.