When Memes Affect the Budget—How the Internet Won in 2025

It was budget day, and the familiar chaos unfolded in every Indian household. The television blared with expert opinions, my father furiously jotted down imaginary tax calculations on the morning newspaper, and my mother had already resigned herself to an LPG price hike—before the finance minister had even begun speaking. Yet, as the traditional debate raged in the living room, my phone told a different story. Twitter had already decided the budget’s fate, not through intricate economic analysis but through memes. Before the finance minister could even address the fiscal deficit, hilarious takes featuring dialogues from Hera Pheri and Gangs of Wasseypur had deconstructed economic jargon into laugh-out-loud moments. It was a new era—one where financial policies were not just discussed but memed into history.

• Budget day is the Super Bowl of Indian households—minus the halftime show, but with extra drama.
• Twitter now works faster than the finance minister in delivering budget verdicts.
• Memes are the new financial analysts, but with better jokes.
• If your budget speech isn’t meme-worthy, did it even happen?

Source: Javaid, Arfi. “Budget 2025 memes: middle class waits for nirmala sitharaman to present budget, but memes arrive first”. News 18, 1^st Feb, 2025.

Memes have long been a staple of internet humour, starting with sports and politics before brands caught on to their marketing potential.

Companies like Amul set the gold standard, using sharp wit to simplify complex issues. Their “Ache Din? Budget Ka Impact Dekho” cartoon made economic policy accessible through satire. The trend spread rapidly—food delivery giants Zomato and Swiggy leveraged memes to tap into relatable struggles (“Salary credited? Treat yourself before the taxman comes.”), while service providers like Dunzo and Agarwal Eye Hospital crafted humorous campaigns like “Dekhne ka tax lag raha hai kya?” But beyond mere marketing, memes evolved into a powerful tool of social commentary. The Delhi government’s controversial liquor policy flip-flop in 2021 became an online laughingstock (“Yeh toh scam ho gaya!”), and rising onion prices were equated to space exploration costs (“Bhai, ghar pe roti banani bhi space mission jitna mehenga ho gaya hai”). What started as humour was now digital activism, making political and economic discourse more accessible to the masses.

• Memes went from just funny pictures to full-time marketing managers.
• Brands know that a viral meme sells better than a 100-page strategy.
• If onions cost as much as a moon mission, expect Twitter to go wild.
• When memes do the activism, even governments take notes.

Then came budget 2025-26. The middle class, long accustomed to being overlooked, braced itself for another round of disappointment. Social media was ruthless—"No tax relief again? Middle class is like...", "Government be like: Aap chronology samajhiye," and "Mere paisa kahan hai?" flooded every platform. Frustration wasn’t just hidden in economic reports; it was trending worldwide. And then, something extraordinary happened—the government took notice. As the finance minister reached the climax of the speech, an unexpected tax rebate was announced, leaving the nation stunned. Was this a pre-planned move, or had the meme tsunami actually influenced policy? No one knew for sure, but one thing was certain—memes had won. Social media exploded with celebrations (“FM Sitharaman be like Virender Sehwag today: 6, 6, 6, 6!”). The age-old notion that memes were frivolous distractions was shattered. The middle class had, quite literally, memed its way to a tax cut.

• The middle class braced for disappointment, like students before exam results.
• Memes dragged the budget into trending topics faster than news channels.
• The government blinked—was it because of memes? We may never know.
• Memes: 1, Boring Budget Speeches: 0.

But with great meme power comes great meme responsibility. While memes amplify real concerns, they can also blur the lines between satire and misinformation. A viral claim about a ₹1 crore tax on online gaming had casual gamers in a panic, unaware that the rule only applied to professional winnings. When chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju secured a historic victory, memes speculated whether his prize money would be tax-free, despite no such announcement. Even the creation of a Makhana Board in Bihar was humorously credited to internet jokes rather than actual policy discussions. The fine line between humour and reality is increasingly hard to define, and in the digital age, misinformation spreads as quickly as entertainment. Yet, there is no denying that memes have reshaped the landscape of public discourse. What was once the domain of journalists and analysts is now a democratized conversation where humour and activism intersect. The next time someone dismisses memes as mere distractions, remind them—when a viral joke can push a tax rebate, the power of digital storytelling has never been more real.

1. Not every meme is gospel truth—sometimes it’s just spicy gossip.
2. The internet loves a tax panic, even when there’s no reason to panic.
3. The line between humor and fake news is thinner than a budget surplus.
4. Memes are here to stay—so is their power to shape real-world conversations.

Neha Sharma and Himanshu Sharma - BIMTECH, Greater Noida