Author: Anil Padmanabhan

The run-up to this year’s Union Budget was chaotic. The global environment was threatening to turn from bad to worse, with the United States poised to unleash a trade war. Domestically, there were clear signs that the post-covid recovery was losing steam. On top of this, tax overreach was testing everyone’s patience, particularly the middle class. https://youtu.be/yzf9rq9yFH4 On 1 February though, it was as though Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had flipped a switch. The highlight of the Budget was her Rs 1 lakh crore tax giveaways to the middle class. However, the FM’s eighth Budget had lots more. To unpack…