A Common Man’s Budget Wishlist for 2026-27
Respected Madam,
I wrote to you two years ago. I am grateful that some of the suggestions were implemented. It is encouraging to see the government listen to the pulse of the people. As we approach the Union Budget for 2026-27, I would like to share a few remaining concerns and some new suggestions from the perspective of an ordinary citizen.
My goal is simple: to make life a little easier and our systems more efficient.
1. Reward Honest Taxpayers with Social Security
The honest taxpayer contributes to the nation’s growth year after year. However, there is no safety net for them in return. I request you to consider a social security or pension-like benefit for long-term taxpayers who might lose their source of income or face hardships in their later years. This benefit could be proportionately linked to the total income tax they have contributed throughout their lifetime.
2. Create a Level Playing Field for Income Tax
Currently, the tax burden falls heavily on the salaried class because their tax is deducted at the source. Meanwhile, many in business or independent professions find ways to under-report income, often paying negligible tax despite earning significantly more. This creates an unfair divide. I urge the Ministry to find more effective ways to bring non-salaried high-earners into the tax net, ensuring everyone pays their fair share.
3. Simplify and Sanitize the KYC Process
The current KYC (Know Your Customer) process has become a repetitive “pain in the neck.” Every bank and financial institution asks for physical copies of Aadhaar, PAN and fresh photographs. These papers are often filed away and never looked at again, wasting massive amounts of paper and storage.
Please mandate the use of DigiLocker as the primary source for KYC. Furthermore, why must we provide new photographs every time? In a digital India, our identity should be seamless, not a constant paper-chase.
4. Standardize Digital Payment Records
Digital payments are a success story, but bank statements are currently a mess. When a business receives a payment, the statement often shows cryptic codes that make it impossible to identify the sender. This forces accounting teams to waste hours chasing “suspense entries.”
I suggest a standard rule: every bank statement entry for a received payment must clearly show the sender’s name and their UPI ID or PAN. This small change would save thousands of hours in bookkeeping across the country.
5. Address the “System Bandh Hai” Culture
In private banks, systems work 24/7. However, in many nationalized banks and government offices, the common refrain remains, “System bandh hai” (The system is down). This “mysterious” downtime in public sector institutions hinders productivity and frustrates citizens. We need better accountability and modern IT infrastructure to ensure that “Sarkari” services are as reliable as private ones.
6. Remove Redundancy in Banking Info
Modern bank account numbers are intelligent; they usually contain the bank and branch identity within the code. Yet, we are still asked to manually write the bank name and branch on almost every form.
Additionally, there is no standard format for how branch names are printed on chequebooks, which creates confusion. Standardizing this information and removing the need for redundant manual entries would be a great step toward a more efficient banking experience.
7. Optimize Coin Design for Daily Use
The current “chillar” (coinage) system is more than a minor inconvenience; it is a design failure that impacts the speed of our economy. As we phase out small-denomination notes, the coins replacing them must be designed with the end-user in mind.
Currently, our coinage is a chaotic mix of legacy designs and inconsistent sizes. The lack of a clear hierarchy – where a lower-value coin can be larger than a higher-value one – is a fundamental design flaw. Additionally, the lack of distinct physical contrast between the ₹10 and ₹20 coins forces citizens to pause and scrutinize their change, wasting precious human energy and time.
We request the Finance Ministry to move beyond purely ornamental designs and adopt a “Universal Design” approach. By standardizing dimensions and simplifying visual markers, we can ensure that our currency is accessible to everyone, including the elderly and the visually impaired, thereby reclaiming the efficiency lost to these illogical designs.
Madam, these are not just complaints; they are opportunities to improve the “Ease of Living” for millions. I hope these practical points find a place in your deliberations for the upcoming budget.
Yours faithfully,
Sanjay Shah
(A Common Man of India)