Budget blues! Kanchi Kaul

The budget is out! And the repercussions will follow. Prices of cigarettes are to go up and the service tax may get applicable on several niceties celebs are used to. How are our telly stars taking Mr Chidambaram's diktats?

They talk to Riya V Anandwala about Union Budget 2006!

Kanchi Kaul

Frankly speaking, I haven't gone into the details, but know it somewhat. It definitely affects me and others too. I invest a lot and my money is growing so I need to be careful about the happenings. But as compared to earlier years, this budget has been good. It won't make much of a difference if the service tax on credit cards have increased, as the people who can afford a credit card can also bare the brunt of the increased service tax!

Rahul Dev

Overall I find it a reasonable budget. But there are a few things which I think should be reconsidered. Firstly, they have emphasized on education for girls and are trying to promote the birth of a girl in rural areas. The point is that they haven't been specific about what education they are talking about. They say schools, but what type of a school? There is a lot of ambiguity in it. The initiative is appreciated, and the mentalities of people in rural areas have to be changed.

Secondly 33.3 per cent of the donation which will be given out for a social issue will go to the government, which I find is extremely unnecessary. It is a total misuse according to me. One thing which I like about the budget is that small cars will be cheaper and it's beneficial for people who cannot afford big cars. Overall, the budget is middle class friendly!

Pooja Bedi

I have sort of gone through the budget, and I don't find it a dramatic one. The service tax on brand ambassadors has gone up by 12 per cent. I spend a lot using my credit card and that too has witnessed a hike in the service tax, that's sad. But I am glad that emphasis has been laid on education and infrastructure. But I wish that urban infrastructure would have been taken into consideration too. Prices of foreign clothes will be cut down, which is really good. Price spurt in service tax is a little upsetting, we are not commodities, please!

Ankur Nayyar

Ankur Nayyar

I haven't kept a track on the budget. It might just affect me initially, but one does get used to it eventually. It certainly affects people at a micro level. But generally it doesn't make a big difference to me. We'll think about it may be only for a month. After that, things kind of settle down, don't they?

Rajiv Paul

Who doesn't go through the budget? I am upset about the increase in the service tax on ATMs. It is really stupid, I feel. We pay the bank charges, and then we pay charges on the cheque too, then what is the point of taxing us 12 per cent on ATMs again. The investment opportunities in mutual funds now see a better side and also the equity shares have matured. And the five per cent ban on smoking won't make a difference at all.