The poor aren't paying taxes in India. They are exempted from paying any tax. Taxation in India only begins if you are in the lower middle class. And even then, you only start by paying 5% Income Tax. If you take in deductions you can also be tax free for upto 7.5 lakhs (almost 10,000 USD). India's Per Capita Income is 7000 USD (4.8 lakhs).
On the other hand, India has already lifted 271 million people out of poverty in 10 years [1]. Can you name a single country that has achieved this feat in such a short span of time?
I think the poster's point was that NONE of us here are poor, hence this is a very different discussion than if we involved that poor part of the population. Not only is the poor fraction of the population huge, they would also have a very different take on whether the space program is worth it.
On the other hand, India has already lifted 271 million people out of poverty in 10 years [1]. Can you name a single country that has achieved this feat in such a short span of time?
[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-lifted-271-mill...