New Delhi: Indicating a Budget that could be harsh on the people, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that reactions could not be ‘kind’ enough when he presents the Union Budget on February 29.
"I have not started working on it yet. All I know that you would not be so kind to me on February 29," Chidambaram said at an awards ceremony when asked whether there would be any tax cuts in the forthcoming Budget.
Chidambaram is scheduled to present the union Budget for the next fiscal on February 29. He, however, did not clarify why the reaction would not be so kind to the Budget.
The Finance Minister said the year 2007 has been good for everyone, including tax collectors. "I hope 2008 will be better," he said.
Answering a question by his wife whether any service tax would be levied on lawyers, Chidambaram said in a lighter vein, "No one believes that lawyers render any services. So there cannot be any service tax on lawyers."
On queries whether he was worried about the volatility in the stock market, Chidambaram said, "I am not worried about market going up and down."
After being conferred the award, Chidambaram said, "I know that politics is a very different and difficult vocation. Yet if so many are (there) in politics, it is because at the end of the day, we believe that something can be achieved through politics."
"Politics is not about individual achievements or collective achievements, politics is about bringing everything together so that we can make a great country," he said.
"I am quite proud to be in politics and proud to be called a politician".
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