Apart from essential items, a rise in the price of electronic items thanks to a rise in customs duty, will hurt those planning weddings
Fifty-seven-year-old Delphin Massey is a worried woman. Eagerly watching the Budget speech from her home in Rohini in northwest Delhi, her initial enthusiasm soon changed into fear and worry. For her, the Budget means the shooting up of prices of electronics, gold jewellery, furniture, vegetables, cooking oils, home accessories, toiletries and fabrics, among others, all of which is going to make a major dent in the family's wallet.
Massey has another big worry. Her daughter's wedding is coming up soon and the family is yet to buy electronics and furniture for it. For her, the Budget has dealt them a blow, as they will now have to shell out more.
The Union Budget has increased customs duty on electronic parts by over 5 percent. Customs duty on LCD, LED television (TV) parts will be raised to 15 percent while earlier most of these parts were available in the 7.5 percent and 10 percent slab.
The government had increased the customs duty on TV sets in a bid to boost domestic manufacturing under the Prime Minister's 'Make In India' scheme in sectors including electronics, furniture, food processing and auto components, among others. But this has come at a cost for middle class people like Massey
"My daughter's wedding is just a month away and I was planning to gift her electronic items such as TV, refrigerator, washing machine etc. but now I'll probably have to spend more. Also, since I have to start shopping for the wedding, I am worried now about how it will affect my budget," said Massey
The family of five has two earning members while the monthly expenditure on essentials including groceries is around Rs 15,000. Both the earning hands are salaried.
"While the pay packets in jobs do not increase as much every year, the prices of commodities are hiked every year. I was actually expecting a Budget that would help the end consumer, as the Modi government had promised that it would work for the common man. This Budget is not something a middle class family can be happy about," she said.
Also commenting on the fact that the Budget has made no change in income tax slabs, Massey concludes that rather than providing relief, it has added to the common man's burden.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "The lower middle class")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}