Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 15: India's D Gukesh emerged as the World Chess Champion, defeating China's Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship. While Gukesh's historic victory received widespread acclaim, social media users criticized finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming that a large portion of Gukesh's prize money would be claimed as tax.

Following Gukesh's victory, users on platform X posted, tagging @nsitharaman, @nsitharamanoffc, @IncomeTaxIndia, and @FinMinIndia, saying, "Without any effort, you are earning Rs 5 crore. Gukesh will share his prize with you," reflecting their frustration.

In the World Chess Championship, Gukesh won a total prize of Rs 11.45 crore. However, reports indicate that Rs 4.67 crore will be deducted as tax from his winnings.

In India, an income above Rs 10 lac attracts a 30% income tax rate. Additionally, for individuals earning more than Rs 5 crore, there is a surcharge of up to 37%, along with a 4% health and education cess. Consequently, Gukesh's prize money will see a significant deduction, sparking widespread criticism of the taxation system and finance minister Sitharaman on social media.

One X user sarcastically remarked, "It’s called TDS: ‘Tax Deducted by Sitharaman!’" Another called it "tax terrorism."

Yet another user humorously said, "Gukesh should share his trophy with the tax department—they are joint winners."

Some posts were laden with satire, such as, "The Indian tax department seems to be the real grandmaster here," and "The tax department's chess game: always taking a share of the prize, salary, or profit."

One more user commented, "The tax department has won the game without even playing," adding to the wave of sarcastic criticism.