A recent post by a fintech professional, @fintech_shark, has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), igniting fierce discussions about income disparity in India. The user boldly stated that anyone earning less than Rs 60 lakh annually should be considered “poor,” a claim that quickly attracted widespread attention. The post argued, “Anything less than 60LPA is poor,” citing high taxes like GST, income tax, and VAT, which the user claimed take up 70% of earnings. It also categorized those making Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1 crore as middle class and labeled individuals earning above Rs 1 crore as upper middle class.
The post, shared on February 2, has garnered over 6 lakh views, with many users weighing in. One comment sharply disagreed, suggesting that the definition of poverty is highly context-dependent, and that a family earning Rs 40,000 per month in rural India wouldn’t be considered poor. Another pointed out that calling a Rs 60 lakh salary middle class is misleading and suggested that such individuals would be easily categorized as upper middle class in urban areas.
The debate intensified when the original poster compared the difficulty of buying property on a lower income to tech millionaire Bryan Johnson’s reaction to air pollution in India, stating that just as Johnson found the AQI levels unbearable, those earning below Rs 60 lakh would struggle to afford a flat in a metro city.
The post has sparked a mixture of agreement and criticism, highlighting the complexities of defining wealth in a country as diverse as India.
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