HT Evening Brief Sept 16: Rahul Gandhi demands rollback of ‘UPI tax’; Season 5 of Kapil Sharma show announced
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Rahul Gandhi, a senior member of the Congress party, criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for imposing a charge on UPI payments exceeding Rs 2,000. In a video message, Gandhi remarked, "Modiji has chosen to lie down straight and bow before US President Donald Trump." This came following the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announcing a revised merchant pricing framework.
Under this framework, a 0.4 percent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) will be applicable to eligible person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, starting October 15, 2026. The charge will be borne by the merchant and capped at Rs 300 for transactions of Rs 75,000 and above. Gandhi contended that the new pricing structure equates to a "tax" on Indian citizens, as it will generate significant revenue for the United States. He urged Modi to abandon this stance and stand up against the United States.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi to roll back 'UPI tax' immediately, invokes Indira hindustantimes.com
- UPI MDR fee hike explained in 10 points: No rollback, Rahul Gandhi vs Centre indianexpress.com
