Rajkumari Mishra, who is 48, is a Noida-based homemaker. She owns agricultural land and is involved in social work in village Gurh, Madhya Pradesh.
With inflation pinching quite a bit, there is a case to increase the tax slabs, she feels. “I would be happy if the Finance Minister increases the basic tax exemption limit from ₹2.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh and the 30 per cent tax slab from ₹10 lakh to ₹13-15 lakh.” Rajkumari wants the government to review its rural job guarantee scheme, MGNREGA. There is a sharp rise in cost of labour, there's also shortage of labour, she says. Rather, the government should subsidise education and business loans in the rural areas.
If she were the Finance Minister, Rajkumari would try to bring more people, especially in the business community, under the tax net. She would also improve the rural education infrastructure, and introduce policies to empower women.
Rajkumari, who prepares the budget for her family, says, “Considering how tough it is to manage a home, I have my sympathy for the Finance Minister.” But “I adhere to my Budget as households don’t have the luxury to borrow as conveniently as the Government,” is her parting shot.
This article was originally published in The Hindu Business Line on on February 22, 2015
