State of income tax in India: Rich pay more, middle class less
FirstpostIncome tax liability on salaried individuals earning less than Rs 20 lakh a year, broadly described as middle class, has fell sharply during the 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. Also, the income tax liability of those earning more than Rs 50 lakh has increased 3.2 times or 282 per cent, from Rs 2.52 lakh crore in 2014, to Rs 9.62 lakh crore in 2024. Meanwhile, a report by The Financial Express quoted an official source as saying, “Increase in tax mop-up from high-income earners has been possible due to effective tax governance, anti-tax evasion measures carried out in the past 10 years, better compliance, and change in the manner of connecting with the taxpayers.” The source quoted by PTI said that in 2014, a salaried person earning more than Rs 2 lakh a year had to pay income tax, however, after a slew of exemptions and deductions announced by the Modi government, those earning up to Rs 7 lakh need not pay any taxes. The income tax collection from taxpayers earning less than Rs 10 lakh has decreased from 10.17 per cent of the total tax paid in 2014, to 6.22 per cent in 2024.