Income Tax: ₹12 lakh is Rebate, Not Exemption: Raghav Chadha
AAP MP Raghav Chadha Image credit X.com
Whole Income Taxable If Income Exceeds ₹12 lakh: Raghav Chadha
Web Desk
New Delhi, February 14: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Raghav Chadha has replied back to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement, accusing her of “using technical jargon to mislead the middle class and divert attention from real tax concerns”.
Responding to Sitharaman’s remarks, the Chadha urged the Finance Minister to refrain from personal attacks. He responded to Sitharaman’s remarks during the Rajya Sabha discussion on the Union Budget 2025-26.
Addressing the issue through a video message, Chadha stated that the Finance Minister made sarcastic comments about his statement and accused him of misleading the House. However, he was not given an opportunity to clarify his position in the Rajya Sabha, prompting him to address the matter directly.
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Clarifying his stance, Chadha said that his speech on the Union Budget raised several critical concerns, including issues faced by railway passengers, financial challenges for the middle class, duties and tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration, and the depreciation of the rupee.
“However, the Finance Minister chose to ignore these substantive points and instead focused on a single example he had given to explain the concept of an income tax rebate,” said the Rajya Sabha MP.
I stand firmly by what I said, asserted Chadha. “The ₹12 lakh tax relief provided by the government is neither a tax exemption nor a tax deduction; it is purely a tax rebate. This means that if someone earns even a single rupee beyond ₹12 lakh in a financial year, they will have to pay income tax on their entire income,” claimed Chadha.
He charged that the “Finance Minister attempted to technically complicate my example, implying that if a person earns more than ₹12 lakh, they will have to pay tax on their entire income.”
Elaborating further, Chadha explained the concept of marginal tax relief, which is applicable up to ₹12 lakhs. “For example, if a person earns ₹13 lakh annually, should they pay income tax on the entire ₹13 lakh based on their respective tax slab, or only on the ₹1 lakh exceeding ₹12 lakh? The correct answer is that they will have to pay tax on the entire ₹13 lakh,” he said.
Giving another example, Chadha highlighted that if a person earns ₹12,76,000 per year, they will have to pay income tax on the full ₹12,76,000, not just on the ₹76,000 earned beyond the ₹12 lakh threshold.
“I provided this example to explain the concept of tax rebate, and I stand by my statement that even if someone earns one rupee over ₹12 lakh, they will have to pay tax on their entire income,” he added.
Chadha also expressed disappointment over personal remarks made by the Finance Minister. “She made personal attacks against me regarding my statement. I just want to say that I have immense respect and regard for the Finance Minister,” added the AAP MP.
He said that “she is far more experienced, senior in position, and older than me. My only request is that in the future, I hope she refrains from making such personal remarks and does not attempt to present simple tax concepts in a technically distorted manner before the public.”
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