Ranjona Banerji: You have only the right to remain silent

Its the economy stupid Whishychshyever way you phrase it you cant hide from it Surveys done by the Reserve Bank of India say that current situation index that measures overall consumer sentiments slipped further into the pessimistic zone reflecting deterioration in sentiments on the employment scenario the price level and incomeIm no economist and nor can I pretend to be one But this is a fairly straightforward finding from the central bank People are not hopeful about their future prospects taking into account lack of jobs rising prices and falling or stagnant income levels One could argue that sentiment is not reality that the economy is doing fabulously well and only pessimists are out to defile the government and then slap a R100crore defamation suit on public sentimentsTruck operators leave their vehicles parked at the Vashi APMC in Navi Mumbai during their strike against GST Goods and Services Tax on Monday PicPTIOr one could take a look at some ground realities After 85 per cent of all Indian currency was made illegal last year there was panic everywhere especially in the small city close to the rural area where I live Many big city people pompously informed me that they paid their vegetable and grocery bills through their debit cards so why was I complaining about small matters like no cash The other day a senior government functionary announced during an election rally of sorts in Gujarat that India was on its way towards being digitised but 80 per cent of India was not and the government was working to fix thatHello Last year we were told that India was all digitised and only thieves and black marketeers were not willing to be digitised Today we are told that 80 per cent of India is not digitised mdash and in fact this admission is close to the truth Sometimes election rallies give us false promises and sometimes we get the truth in order to be sold another false promiseAnyway between November 2016 and today not a single vegetable seller that I patronise big or small accepts anything but cash still doesnt have change for a R2000 note and looks far more miserable than he or she did last yearAs for the Goods and Services Tax the promised good and simple tax has become bad and impossible Strikes by truckers demanding diesel be brought under GST to fight the current high rates of state and central taxes Impending strikes by petrol pumps for similar reasonsIllogically high rates for sanitary napkins and medical prosthetics Illogically low rates for gold and jewellery Though now of course the tax on khakra has been reduced from 12 per cent to 5 per cent and you no longer need to inform the income tax department when you buy jewellery worth over Rs 50000Happy days for some ehThe cashier at the neighbourhood grocer laughs his head off whenever you discuss GST They are all computerised and digitised but they cannot make sense of the system Khakra he says was never taxed in Uttarakhand at all and now its at 5 per cent Locally made snacks are not taxed so theres a good clue on what you should buy and how you should eat Nuts confuse everyone Most are taxed at 12 per cent Except cashews which are at 5 per cent Salted cashews are 12 per cent although salt itself is taxfree Pistachios are 28 per cent If you mix all the nuts into one packet then the highest rate applies Pretty taxing no Sorry couldnt resist thatIn less humorous conditions small businesses daily labourers handicraft artisans leather workers are all gasping for breath The real estate industry is practically at a standstill Both demonetisation and GST have affected liquidity investments and paymentsAnd yet we continue to be treated like we are either stupid or are antinationals if we feel affected by an economy in a pessimistic zone to quote the Reserve Bank of IndiaLuckily for us everyone is quite happy to rake up and make up nonissues to keep our tiny little minds occupied For instance some film stars locked in a battle which is maybe not related to publicity for a new film release Or how to attack the Supreme Court for banning fire crackers during Diwali in New Delhi and the National Capital Region because pollution itself is horrifically pessimistic Or the grand announcement of one more gigantic statue that India really needs in order to make us all feel happier and more optimistic Though perhaps not any less stupidRanjona Banerji is a senior journalist You can follow her on Twitter ranjona Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom