Ashneer Grover, the co-founder and former MD of BharatPe caused a controversy when he called the people who pay taxes in India a “meaningless majority” in an election-related social media post. Grover’s words follow a contentious discussion on inheritance tax that was started by Indian Overseas Congress President Sam Pitroda’s remarks.
Ashneer Grover’s Contentious Statement
Grover emphasised a startling statistic: of the 140 crore people living in India, only 8 crore submit income tax returns, and only 2 crore of them genuinely pay income tax. He underlined that an astounding 80% of income tax revenue is contributed by just 45 lakh people. Grover’s claim highlights a troubling fact: only 0.5 percent of Indian voters make significant income tax contributions, meaning that most taxpayers have little effect on the nation’s revenues.
Pitroda’s Inheritance Tax Remarks
Sam Pitroda‘s remarks during an interview about inheritance tax in which he implied that the idea of inheritance tax as it is known in the United States may be discussed in India escalated the debate. Pitroda quickly explained his position, claiming that his words had been misinterpreted and misconstrued. He made it clear that his remarks, which he made as an example during a television chat had nothing to do with the policies of any political party or the Congress.
Political Backlash and Prime Minister’s Response
Pitroda’s comments caused BJP officials including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a stand. PM Modi took advantage of the occasion to criticise the Congress party and claim that its goals were “dangerous.” Pitroda’s remarks were used by him as proof of the Congress’s purported intentions to raise taxes on the middle class. In addition, Modi charged that the Congress was pushing for an inheritance tax, portraying this as an attack on hard-earned money.