'In talks with payment platforms to ensure UPI fee not passed on to consumers': Govt
The government is currently in talks with payment platforms to ensure that merchant fees do not get passed on to consumers. Starting from October fifteenth, officials will closely monitor this situation to protect consumers. They also reassured that merchants will not incur additional GST costs once the MDR is implemented. This initiative aims to support more domestic players in the market and…
The government is engaging in discussions with payment platforms and aggregators to prevent merchant discount rates (MDR) from being passed onto consumers during UPI transactions. The finance ministry aims to ensure that the 0.4% MDR charged on transactions over Rs 2,000 does not impact the user experience. Daily monitoring will be carried out to check if merchants are indeed not transferring the MDR to customers.
Despite this, the government contends that the new measure will not result in a GST burden for merchants, as input tax credits will offset the tax. Moreover, the move is viewed as a way to encourage domestic players to compete with foreign platforms. The government has ruled out foreign pressure as a motive behind the MDR introduction, emphasizing its commitment to fostering a domestic ecosystem.
Additionally, a dedicated fund will be established using 5% of MDR collections to boost UPI adoption among small merchants and promote its consistent usage.
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