Budget 2026 LIVE: Indications of major reforms in the budget? All eyes will be on sectors ranging from defense to healthcare..

Budget 2026 LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget 2026 on February 1st. The budget is being closely watched by everyone, from the general public to the business community. This year, expectations are high for increased government spending in the healthcare sector, promotion of indigenous production in defense, and a boost to infrastructure projects. The real estate sector is also hoping for lower interest rates, tax relief, and announcements related to affordable housing, which could stimulate demand and create new employment opportunities.

However, the most anticipated decisions are those related to income tax. The middle class is hoping for relief in tax slabs, an increase in the standard deduction, and making the new tax regime more attractive. Experts believe that if the government takes steps to increase consumption along with tax relief, it will strengthen the economy and provide a new impetus to growth.

Budget Session 2026 LIVE: Reducing TDS on VDA transactions from 1% to 0.01% will increase liquidity
Income Tax Budget 2026: Ashish Singhal, Co-founder of CoinSwitch, says that the use of crypto/VDA (Virtual Digital Assets) is growing rapidly in India, but the current tax system is creating difficulties for ordinary investors. Currently, tax is levied on profits, but losses are not considered, making the system seem unfair.

According to him, reducing the TDS on VDA transactions from 1% to 0.01% will increase liquidity, simplify compliance, and maintain transparency. Also, increasing the TDS threshold to ₹5 lakh will prevent unnecessary burden on small investors.

Ashish Singhal said that the VDA tax regime was introduced in 2022 as a temporary solution. Now, with the monitoring by FIU-IND and a better compliance system in place, the government has an opportunity to review this framework, which would benefit both investors and the government.

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