Budget 2021: What Mumbai's common man wants

The pandemic and the lockdown have been challenging for one and all but it is the middle class taxpayer who has probably suffered the most On the eve of the budget to get an insight into the expectations of the common man from it midday spoke to the families of Santacruzbased Suresh Ashar and Sandeep Trivedi Ashar ran a successful industrial textile weaving business for years before retiring while Trivedi is a tax consultantSandeep Trivedi 55 Tax consultantThe global pandemic has hit growth extensively Major incentives have to be injected to boost the economy which has taken a hit during these testing times The small industries should be supported and nurtured in a better fashion Taxes on individuals should be brought downSuresh Ashar 85 Retired businessmanFor the past 60 years I have been paying my taxes diligently but today feel betrayed that the government has done practically nothing for me or my family I will be happy if the government comes up with a proposal where citizens start getting a fixed pension or a onetime amount as and when they choose to retire It should be purely calculated on the basis of how much tax they have paid over the years This will eliminate all kinds of malpractices and encourage more people to file their Income Tax returns honestly The tax collecting structure in our country has always been focused only on generating revenue for the government but has never offered any direct returns for the hardworking classes who pay their taxes honestly This has to change if we aim to become a welfare stateBina Udeshi 71 Housewife Sureshrsquos sisterinlawMy son was the only breadwinner in the family Early last year he was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to be hospitalised for nine months We spend over R7 lakh on his treatment but the doctors could not save him He is survived by his young wife and twin daughters who are barely two years old Today getting even basic funds to run the house is difficult At this age I cannot go out looking for a job and neither can my daughterinlaw who has to look after the babies We cannot be a burden on my other son who lives separately with his wife and kid He has his own set of responsibilities and challenges I would like to see some radical changes in the health sector so that one sickness in the family doesnrsquot wipe out the entire savings There should be more governmentrun hospitals and clinics which are on par with the best private hospitalsDevang Ashar 45 Software business Sureshrsquos sonThe government should focus on midsize businesses and small entrepreneurs The revenue has gone down however the expenses have remained the sameSanket Trivedi 22 Student Sandeeprsquos sonA sharp focus on employment is anticipated and the government could look at new avenues of privatisation where its sectors have failed to deliver People who have taken loans expect that the interest rates are lowered The lockdown has been bad for all of us but we have to accept the challenges and move ahead Positive government policies will help us get back on trackMadhavi Ashar 55 Family counselor entrepreneur Sureshrsquos daughterinlawIn spite of having a small business my husband Nilesh and I dipped into our savings to pay the salaries of nearly R27 lakh to our staff of 15 during the lockdown Though we have made drastic changes to our personal lifestyle by cutting expenditure on all nonessential goods we are reaching a stage where even basic household expenses are now pinching us It is hightime that the government takes immediate positive steps to ensure that small businesses like ours survive or it could have a devastating domino effect The government can also consider giving benefits to those who have small families This will help ease the pressure on the economy arising from the evergrowing populationNimay Ashar 28 MNC employee Sureshrsquos grandsonMy major expectations include tax relief for MSMEs to boost the business sector This will also increase job opportunities Increase in standard exemption for salaried employees and modification of taxation slabs to allow additional savings which have been lost during the pandemic are needed The government must pay extra attention to infrastructure and development in the major metros where maximum number of taxpayers stayShobhAna Ashar 75 Housewife Sureshrsquos wifeI hope that the upcoming budget gives ample opportunities for all to flourish and also has some special benefits for senior citizens who have fixed deposits in banks These are now yielding much lower interest rate as compared to before that too when the cost of living has been escalating constantlyBhavana Mankermi 79 Housewife Sureshrsquos daughterinlawrsquos motherMuch before the lockdown in December 2019 my husband succumbed to a stroke after our lifesavings of R30 lakh in FDs which we considered to be safe investments got locked up after the PMC bank scam The government has to ensure that the banks regain the trust of the common man My husbandrsquos treatment cost us nearly Rs 17 lakh which I somehow managed by borrowing from family and partially from the limited bank withdrawals which were permitted Life has gone downhill since and I had to seek my daughter and soninlawrsquos help to undergo a cataract operation The health care sector especially for senior citizens needs major improvement as we have reached a stage that citizens are scared to be diagnosed with an illness which requires hospitalisation It has become a very costly affair and puts a tremendous financial burden on the family