Ranjit K. Jain, a distributor with a ₹30 lakh annual income, says the Union Budget 2026 offers mixed signals for his family of four. While the Budget boosts India's global goals, it provides no income tax relief for high earners like him. "We are now firmly in the highest tax slab of 30% under the new tax regime," he explains. Jain hoped for a 'bracket stretch' to ₹35 lakh to ease tax burdens and increase take-home pay. Such a change would have helped families invest in homes or retirement, which inflation has hurt. However, tax slabs and the standard deduction of ₹75,000 remain the same. Jain points out that this Budget favors macroeconomic stability over individual financial boosts. The major relief comes in the form of a big cut in Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on overseas tour packages and remittances. It has dropped from 20% to a flat 2%. "For a family planning an overseas vacation or funding a child’s education abroad, this significantly reduces the upfront cash-flow burden," he says. Jain sums up the Budget as a "strategic ‘pat on the back’ for the global traveller but the ‘cold shoulder’ to the local earner." While it supports cross-border dreams, domestic taxpayers like him carry a heavy tax load with no new relief.