Comedian Rohan Joshi, known for his witty social media posts, took to Twitter to seek a simple explanation of Budget 2024. “People who know and understand it better than I do, pls explain what happened in the Budget today in the comments, in the most ELI5 way possible,” he wrote, using the popular internet acronym “ELI5” which stands for “Explain Like I’m Five.”
Joshi’s request sparked a flurry of responses, with users offering humorous and insightful takes on the budget’s implications. One user explained it as a scenario involving chocolate bars, saying, “Ok Rohan imagine you have 5 chocolate bars earlier I used to take 1 chocolate bar from you as tax now I will take 2 because screw you that’s why! And also I am giving it to someone else because I want him to like me more.”
Another user provided a satirical commentary, “Basically BJP gave more funds to their partners Bihar and AP to keep the coalition stable, then decided to take middle class and traders on a good vacation to placea called aukaat and depression.”
A simpler explanation came from one user, “Keep calm and pay TDS. Tax Deducted by Sitharaman.” Another user wrote, “Tax slab up, custom duty down. Use less plastic and invest more.”
One user humorously suggested that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had used a prompt for ChatGPT to create a budget, saying, “Nirmala aunty ne chat gpt ko prompt diya… Please make interesting and confusing budget.”
Another user shared a frustrated response to the budget, “Tax ke baad jo bhi paisa bachega, usko kharcha karne ke time jo other taxes katega, uske baad jo chiller bachega wo agar invest karke aur paisa kamane ko try kiya toh (explicits) aisa bole wo (She said: ‘Whatever is left after taxes, you have to pay taxes to spend that. Then, whatever insignificant amount is left…if you want to invest that, then (explicits)!”
One user took a dig at Joshi, commenting, “You don’t need to worry as tax is applicable on income only.” Another user, referencing a character from the Amazon Prime Video web series Farzi, said, “Hum log middle class nhi, middle f*ng*r class hai.”
After reading the responses, Joshi admitted that asking for explanations was a “bad idea,” highlighting the complexity and sometimes frustrating nature of understanding the budget. The online exchange serves as a reminder of the budget’s impact on different segments of society and the ongoing conversation about its implications. It also showcases the power of humor and wit in navigating complex topics.
