Raghav Chadha urges govt to allow married couples to file joint ITR, Makes this argument

Raghav Chadha, MP from the Aam Aadmi Party, spoke in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Union Budget, presenting several proposals aimed at easing financial pressure on ordinary citizens. One of his key proposals was the introduction of joint filing of income tax returns for married couples. Chadha argued that India’s tax system treats individuals separately even though married couples often share expenses, investments and financial responsibilities. He suggested that allowing couples to file jointly—similar to systems in countries like the United States, Germany, and France—could create greater tax equity between single-income and dual-income households. Additionally, he proposed removing penalties charged by banks for not maintaining minimum account balances, pointing out that banks collected around ₹19,000 crore in such penalties over the last three years. According to Chadha, these charges often impact the poorest account holders and discourage financial inclusion.