Industry flags credit access, tax relief, housing affordability mismatch
NEW DELHI, Jan — (The CONNECT) — As India approaches Union Budget 2026, fintech and real estate leaders are urging the government to prioritise household income relief, faster credit access, and a long-overdue reset of the affordable housing definition to reflect urban market realities.
Adhil Shetty, CEO, BankBazaar, said easing pressure on middle-class finances must be a central budget objective. “Strengthening digital public infrastructure is the fastest way to make credit cheaper, safer and more accessible,” Shetty said, calling for a ₹1 lakh crore allocation under Digital India 2.0 covering DigiLocker, the Account Aggregator framework and fully agentless 24/7 Video KYC. He added that indexing the top income tax slab to inflation and allowing a flat deduction for long-term protection products could free up ₹2–3 lakh annually for savings and investments.
Housing affordability remains a critical concern. Shetty said the ₹45 lakh affordable housing cap no longer reflects urban pricing realities. “Revising the threshold can lower EMIs and revive housing-linked consumption,” he said.
Akshay Taneja, CEO, TDI Infrastructure, stressed the need for policy stability rather than piecemeal relief. “This Budget is the last real opportunity to send clear, growth-oriented signals before the new tax regime kicks in,” Taneja said. He highlighted the rise of Tier-2 cities and NCR’s outer belt as self-sustaining residential and luxury hubs driven by infrastructure upgrades.
Ashish Narain Agarwal, Founder & MD, PropertyPistol, pointed to a structural shift in demand. “Affordable housing has fallen from about 37% in 2021 to nearly 18% in 2025, while luxury housing has surged to 29%,” Agarwal said, calling for GST rationalisation, a revised housing definition and stronger incentives for first-time buyers.
