The Union Budget is a complex document that often stumps the best of “experts”, let alone the lay people, which is why Abhinandan and Meghnad tried to break down #Budget2018 on Thursday, Budget day.

Since the live broadcast, a lot of you have been sending us questions in a bid to understand where and how money is moving through the economy. It made us realise that more clarity is needed on the matter, and what better way to do this than crowdsource the questions and answers!

So, for the next six days, we will collect your queries as well as answers (in case you are among the “experts”) to further simplify #Budget2018.

Below are some of the questions that you have already put up. Click here to submit a query or doubt that you may have or an answer for the questions below:

1. Could you explain MSP and how it’s beneficial to farmers and the economy?

2. Any clarity on MSP? FM saying cost plus 50% profit being given to farmers. Whereas reality is MSP is almost 66% of production cost if considered standard parameters.

3. Any allocation to (in) accessible India campaign? We divyangs are tired of flying around and would like some ramps.

4. 1.3 trillion rupees of cess funds were lying underutilised in 2016. What’s the point of increasing cess when the funds are not utilised?

5. What’s the scene with the Union Railway budget? Also if you can tell more on the MSP been promised to farmers while the govt. back in 2014 had filed a affidavit in SC saying they are apparently incapable of giving 1.5times of the ‘लागत’.

6. Which economist’s analysis we should read to know about this budget?

7. What is your take on Long Term capital gains Tax? Would that be beneficial to the middle class?

8. Is the Budget passed in totem in general or do some amendments get done while passing?

9. How government plans to stop cryptocurrency circulation?

10. “Standard deduction of Rs 40,000 for salaried employees in lieu of transport and medical expenses”, said FM Jaitley. What is this transport and medical expenses and how does standard deduction helps?

11. Should capital gains tax be same as ordinary income tax?

12. How does the Health cess work ?

13. As Hajj subsidy is removed, has the same amount is been allocated to Minority Women Education as was declared while removing the subsidy ?

14. Has the education cess been spent on education so far? If yes, how will the newly increased cess be spent? If no, what happens to our money?

15. Has the allocation to health care as a percent of the GDP been raised? If yes, does it include the NaMoCare insurance funding and the extra cess?

16. Is the government trying to go push for privatisation of healthcare? If yes, is this a practice other developed countries also follow? Should we be following the same? Has there been a cut in any of the education or health schemes?

17. How much is the premium for the health insurance going to be? Who will pay for it — the Centre or the states?

18. What is the status of the following schemes over the past 3 years: (a) Smart Cities; (b) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana; and (c) Swachch Bharat Abhiyan? What have been the allocations for these schemes in the proposed and previous Budget, and is there any record of the progress made in these schemes?

19. Does the government publish any progress reports before or during the announcement of the Budget? For example, do we get to understand how the Budget of 2017-18 was actually realised, before we started discussing the Budget of 2018-19? Did the proposed expenditures and tax increases and decreases lead to the intended result?

20. Didn’t GST and demonetisation already lead to a projected increase in the funds available to the government? Why did they, for example, have to raise the cess on income tax from 3 per cent to 4 per cent? And continuing from question #1, what did they already use the 3 per cent so far for?

21. Explain standard deduction and it’s comparison with previous year. How have the things changed?

22. What is LTCG Tax?? I am an income taxpayer and invest in mutual funds almost every year, how would LTCG tax affect my savings?

You can also tweet to us with #BreakingDownBudget2018.

On Friday, February 9, Meghnad will discuss all your doubts live on Newslaundry’s Facebook page.

(Also, now that you are here, you can also check out Consti-tuition Episode 05, where we explain how the Union Budget is passed by Parliament every year.)