India Budget 2023 Highlights: The Union Budget 2023-24 put forth several proposals for the benefit of taxpayers which came as a huge relief to the middle-class, salaried people of India. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 presented the budget for this fiscal beginning April 1, 2023 in which one of the major takeaways was the announcement of simplified tax slabs and tax rebate hike.

The simplified tax slabs, however, fall under the new tax regime, which the FM said has been intentionally designed that way so that more and more people opt for it. Although people have been rejoicing over the decision, many are yet to navigate their way through the new regime. And since it will be the default tax regime, one has to be prepared well in advance. This budget also focused on raising capital expenditure, fiscal consolidation, and green growth.

The capital investment outlay has been increased by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore, which will account for 3.3 per cent of the GDP, the FM said in her budget speech. She added that the government remains committed to bringing the fiscal deficit down to 4.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025-26. The Budget also focussed on seven priorities, which Sitharaman called the “Saptrishis guiding us through Amrit Kaal”. Stay tuned with financialexpress.com as we bring you all the updates on Budget speech 2023.

Watch FM Sitharaman’s Budget 2023 speech from Parliament

Live Updates

Union Budget 2023 Highlights Live News: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Budget 2023 Top Announcements Live Updates

10:55 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Cabinet approves Budget 2023, speech to begin shortly

The Cabinet has okayed the Union Budget 2023 and now Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the same at 11 am. Budget copies have already arrived at the Parliament.

10:46 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Moves that can make this Budget a hit!

A shift in tax slabs, expansion of PLI schemes, focus on job creation, GST rationalisation, are some of the things that could make this budget a hit with the countrymen.

10:36 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Copies of Union Budget 2023 arrive at Parliament

Budget copies have arrived at the Parliament. Finance Minister will present the Union Budget 2023 at 11 am. You can catch live streaming of the speech at Sansad TV or keep watching this space with financialexpress.com to get live updates on FM's Union Budget 2023 speech.

10:29 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Logistics sector hopes for improvement in logistics infrastructure

With the country all set for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to present the Budget 2023 in Lok Sabha at 11 am today, the logistics sector expects that it will not only announce incentives that will further facilitate the growth of the industry but also prioritise the improvement of logistics infrastructure across roads, warehouses and ports among others.

Read More Here: Logistics sector hopes for more incentives towards NLP, focus on digitisation, ESG infrastructure

10:17 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget Live Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the Parliament. The Cabinet meeting is expected to begin shortly after which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2023.

10:15 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget Live Updates: Budget copies to be disseminated electronically

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will approve the Budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 and then the Budget will be presented. As per PTI, the budget copies will be distributed electronically and the documents will be uploaded on the government website as well as made available on a special app developed for the same.

10:12 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget Live Updates: Nirmala Sitharaman arrives at the Parliament

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has arrived at the Parliament. She will be presenting the budget in paperless format at 11 am. All eyes are on Sitharaman as people are waiting in anticipation to see if she will announce new tax slabs for the FY24.

10:05 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget Live Updates: A rundown of business at Lok Sabha today

A rundown List of Business today at the Lok Sabha:

09:54 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Will expectations of people reflect in the Union budget?

Speaking to the media ahead of the Budget, MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said that the people's expectations would be reflected in the Budget. “UnionBudget2023 will meet the expectations of every section of society. Modi govt has always worked in the favour of the people of the country”, Union minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told ANI. MoS Finance Dr B Karad on Wednesday morning said that India has made good recovery from COVID and that if we look at Economic Survey, all sectors are making progress. “Compared to other countries, our economy is good. When PM took oath in 2014, India was 10th (in terms of economy), today it is fifth,” Karad said.

09:45 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Latest pictures from the Rashtrapati Bhavan

09:43 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Wrapped in red, budget to be presented in paperless form yet again

Nirmala Sitharaman showcasing her digital tablet wrapped in a traditional bahi-khata style pouch as she headed for Parliament to present the Union Budget 2022-23. (Image: Reuters)

09:33 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Sitharaman takes President’s permission to present budget today

Nirmala Sitharaman has taken permission from the President to present Union Budget 2023 today at 11 am in the Parliament. She will not take Cabinet's permission to go ahead with her budget presentation.

09:29 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Top business leaders put forward their suggestions for FM

Many business leaders have come forward with their suggestions for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Arihant Infrastructures, CMD, Ashok Chhajer told ANI on Monday that the government should focus on reducing home loan rates. Hiranandani Group MD, Niranjan Hiranandani said the Budget should focus on further investments in roads, railways, ports, airports and highways, as well as slum rehabilitation schemes.

09:21 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Tourism and hospitality sector expecting budget to improve overall affordibility

The tourism and hospitality sector is expecting a boost from the Union Budget 2023 via tax incentives that will improve overall affordibility, giving a boost to the industry. “We would urge the government to reconsider 12% GST being currently levied on room tariffs below INR 1000 per night. The current rates make it difficult for people to find an affordable stay when traveling, which also negatively impacts the earnings of small hoteliers,” Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group CEO, OYO, had earlier told financialexpress.com.

09:12 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Sitharaman to take Cabinet’s permission to present the budget

Nirmala Sitharaman will first take permission from the Cabinet to present the budget. All eyes are on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to see if she will announce new tax slabs for the FY24. This budget is expected to be a roadmap for the next 25 years.

09:05 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: PM Narendra Modi to chair Cabinet meet at 10 am

At 10 am, a Cabinet meeting will be held under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, MoS Finance Dr Bhagwat Karad told the media on Wednesday morning ahead of the Union Budget 2023 speech.

09:02 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: FM showcases Budget 2023 wrapped in customised red cover

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with her team posed for pictures outside the new Parliament building along with her team and showcased the Budget 2023 wrapped in a customised red cover with a golden three-lion emblem.

08:59 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Deduction limit on house loans expected to increase

Keeping in mind the rising interest rates, it is expected that the budget will increase the deduction limit for house loans from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3-4 lakh. To give the middle-class population some tax relief, the standard deduction of Rs 50,000 is also expected to be enhanced to at leats Rs 75,000.

08:51 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: A hybrid approach for old and new tax regimes?

The new tax regime system did not find many takers when it was introduced. The budget this time is expected to take a hybrid approach combining the new and old tax systems. The highest slab of income tax of 30% which starts at Rs 10 lakh is also expected to be raised to at least Rs 15 lakh.

08:42 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Nirmala Sitharaman arrives at the Ministry of Finance

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has arrived at the Ministry of Finance to present the Budget 2023 at 11 am. All eyes are set on Sitharaman's budget speech as it is expected to be a balanced one and not a populist one, even though the year 2024 is set to witness Lok Sabha polls.

08:38 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Politicos start offering prayers ahead of the Budget

08:34 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Startups expecting stregthening of the ecosystem

With 100+ unicorns and over 80,000 startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) across India, the start-up ecosystem in the country is booming. Keeping in line with Modi's vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', the budget this year is expected to do a lot more to build up the startup sector and realise the vision of a five trillion-dollar economy. Many are expecting a single-window approval mechanism to claim tax and regulatory incentives. Could this budget finally lead the way? Stay tuned to find out.

08:22 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: What did the Economic Survey 2023 project?

The Economic Survey 2022-23 was tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on January 31, 2023. The survey said that the government may meet its fiscal deficit target for the current year (at 6.4 per cent of GDP) and further keep a modest target of under 6 per cent for 2023-24.

08:14 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Real Estate expecting a revival

The real estate sector had taken a massive hit during the pandemic, so naturally, the expectations from this year's budget are high. The Finance Minister is expected to announce favourable schemes and tax breaks to give real estate a revival. In the year 2019, the GST council had cut the tax rate on affordable houses from 8% to 1%. The real estate sector expects similar announcements in this Budget too.

08:02 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Govt likely to focus on jobs amid mass layoffs

It has been the year of mass layoffs. Unemployment has been at a 16-month high of 8.3% in December, the government is likely expected to focus more on employment generation. The budget may go for more funds to spend on MNREGS and other rural job creation schemes.

07:53 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Will this be a balanced, not populist budget?

Since this is going to be Modi government's second last budget before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to present a balanced and not a populist, Budget. However, with BJP striving to win for a third consecutive term, massive welfare programmes for farmers and the rural population cannot be ruled out.

07:44 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: PM Modi on hopes from India’s 2023 budget

Ahead of the budget session on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the Budget for 2023-24 will not only try to fulfill the hopes and dreams of the common man in the country but it will be a ray of hope for the world.He also said that it is not just the countrymen that are looking forward to the budget, but the whole world is keen amid global economic uncertainty.

07:40 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Will salaried class breath a sigh of releif?

One of the obvious and predominant expectations from this budget is some tax relief for the salaried class. Taxpayers are rooting for favourable tax slabs, and a waiver of long-term capital gains from equities. Reducing their burden and levying hefty fines on defaulters is going to be the way forward. Stay tuned to know if this budget is going to be a boon or bane for the salaried class.

07:27 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Where to catch live streaming of Budget 2023 speech?

The Budget 2023 speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be broadcast by public broadcaster Sansad TV from the Parliament. Viewers can also tune into multiple news and digital channels to get the latest updates on Sitharaman's speech. You can also stay tuned here with financialexpress.com to get live updates on Budget 2023.

07:18 (IST) 1 Feb 2023
Budget 2023 LIVE: Will this budget make MSMEs ‘Aatmanirbhar’?

While many industries in the MSME sector have managed to achieve their pre-pandemic level targets, there are still several that are struggling to have a turnaround. A lot rides on this budget as these businesses are hoping for a bounceback with government interventions like extending the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme. For online sellers, if the GST rates are lowered, it will definitely give a boost to their finances.