PM Modi thanks Indian middle class tax payers in Independence Day speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the Indian middle class tax payers today in his Independence Day speech. The Prime Minister said honest and hard-working middle class tax payers' contribution was the reason the poor in the country got food to eat. "Every honest tax payer is helping three poor families get enough food," Prime Minister Modi said in his speech.  

It is rare for the middle class to find direct mention in Indian Prime Ministers'  Independence Day speech. Farmer issues and the sufferings of the poor usually dominate PM Modi's Independence Day speeches. The Prime Minister also thanked the business class for embracing GST, the new taxation system. PM Modi said one year after the rollout of the GST, direct tax payers have grown from 70 lakh to 1 crore 16 lakh.

"While decisions were held back in the past due political and other compulsions, bold decisions like GST are being taken now," PM Modi said in his speech.

The Prime Minister in his hour-and-a-half long speech touched on many issues, including the progress the economy has made in the past four years. The Prime Minister said that the country was rapidly progressing towards becoming an even bigger economy. The Prime Minister said India is now seen as a land of reform, perform and transform. "We are poised for record economic growth," the PM said.

Edited by Mukesh Adhikary