India
NCERT Class 9 textbook teaches new tax regime
The Hindu··1 Oct
NCERT has put personal income tax into the Class 9 book Understanding Society: India and Beyond Part Two. The chapter Managing Your Personal Finances shows slab-wise calculation under the new tax regime. Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani called it a first for this age group. The book was released on September 29, 2026, and does not mention the old regime.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Class 9 students will see income tax slabs and calculation steps in the new social science volume.
- The chapter frames paying taxes honestly and on time as a civic responsibility.
- Part Two arrived months after the academic session began, so schools may introduce it mid-year.
What's Happening
- NCERT rolled History, Geography, Political Science and Economics into one integrated set across two volumes.
- Earlier, 20 chapters across four books were compressed into 16 themes.
- The chapter also covers budgeting, saving, investing and risk protection under personal finance pillars.
How Tax Teaching Entered School
- The new tax regime was announced in the February 2020 Union Budget and became the default from April 1, 2023.
- Taxpayers who want the old regime have to actively opt out under the current rules.
- Part One of the textbook was released in June; Part Two followed on September 29, 2026.
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