Regardless of the Union Funds 2025-26 asserting a major tax reduction for the center class, the markets closed flat, prompting sharp reactions from analysts, together with Knowledge Hatch founder Akshat Shrivastava.
In his evaluation, Shrivastava did not mince phrases: “Markets didn’t rise regardless of the tax lower announcement. Why? This specific tax lower is a recognition transfer, not a wise financial transfer. This doesn’t remedy the expansion drawback; it merely solves the recognition drawback.”
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Funds exempted annual incomes of as much as Rs 12 lakh from earnings tax beneath the brand new regime, alongside rejigging tax slabs to offer reduction to the center class.
Whereas the announcement was anticipated to spice up investor sentiment, the market’s response was lukewarm — Sensex edged up simply 5 factors to 77,506, whereas Nifty slipped 26 factors to 23,482.
Shrivastava argued that the tax lower, although impactful for people, lacks the depth to affect broader financial progress or investor confidence. “It offers the sensation that a minimum of ‘one thing’ is being finished for the center class,” he mentioned, suggesting the transfer is extra symbolic than strategic.
Breaking down the numbers, Shrivastava highlighted a key situation with India’s tax construction. He identified that roughly 6.5% of the nation’s inhabitants recordsdata earnings tax returns, however solely about 2% of the inhabitants truly finally ends up paying earnings tax. With the brand new tax cuts introduced in Funds 2025-26, this quantity is anticipated to drop even additional, leaving simply 1% of the inhabitants successfully paying taxes.
“This doesn’t construct any type of investor confidence,” he added, implying that the shrinking tax base might pose fiscal challenges whereas doing little to stimulate long-term financial progress.
Market specialists echoed related sentiments. Vinod Nair, Head of Analysis at Geojit Monetary Companies, famous the combined market response was as a result of a modest 10% year-on-year enhance in capital expenditure for FY26—falling in need of expectations, particularly in sectors like railways, protection, and infrastructure. “Consumption-based sectors, that are anticipated to learn essentially the most, had a low impact on the broad market as a result of their modest market combine place,” Nair defined.
In the meantime, Ajit Mishra, SVP of Analysis at Religare Broking, urged that whereas the Funds’s affect would possibly linger, markets are prone to stay range-bound as individuals await clearer alerts. “The Nifty could stay round its present ranges as market individuals await the following decisive transfer,” he mentioned, pointing to technical resistance close to the 22,620 degree.