A Bengaluru techie paid ₹30 lakh in income tax over five years-then lost his job, spiraled into depression, and got nothing in return.
No unemployment aid. No support. Just silence. A LinkedIn post by Delhi-based engineer Ayush J is questioning whether India’s honest salaried class is being punished for playing by the rules.
Ayush spotlighted the anonymous engineer’s ordeal to expose what many in India’s formal workforce have long felt but rarely voice: that the system bleeds them dry in taxes, then abandons them in crisis.
In countries like the U.S., taxpayers are backed by unemployment benefits and social security. But in India, the engineer found himself stranded-despite contributing lakhs to government coffers.
His descent into depression underscored what Ayush calls India’s “आने दो” model: shrug off the struggles of taxpayers while rewarding those who sidestep the system.
“Free electricity, water, rations, bus rides-these benefits rarely reach the salaried class,” Ayush wrote. “They’re often handed to those who don’t pay a rupee in taxes.”
He notes that in urban India, it’s not uncommon for small business owners or freelancers to openly boast about avoiding tax. “Why pay if you can get away with it?” is the prevailing attitude, Ayush observed.
Meanwhile, salaried professionals-whose taxes are deducted at source-shoulder the full burden.
There’s no preferential treatment, no relief during layoffs, and certainly no recognition. Just deductions, paperwork, and silence when things go south.
“It almost feels like we’re being punished… for earning well and being honest,” Ayush concluded.
His post has reignited debate over tax fairness, accountability, and the absence of a safety net for those who fund the very system that fails them.