Pranab Mukherjee's seventh budget presented on Friday last has attracted varied comments with some calling it insipid and dour and others, realistic and pragmatic. Indeed, in the sheer sweep of its taxation proposals that generate Rs.41,440 crore, one of the highest in recent years, the budget is a throwback to the bad old days of the 1980s when people awaited February 28 with trepidation wondering how much their tax burden would rise.