{
  "id": 14526596,
  "title": "States asked to waive stamp duty on road projects",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/states-asked-to-waive-stamp-duty-on-road-projects",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-14T19:41:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/roadways/tug-of-war-states-asked-to-waive-stamp-duty-on-road-projects/articleshow/134950819.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The road transport and highways ministry has requested state governments to waive stamp duty on road projects, contending that these taxes impose compliance burdens and contractual uncertainty, which reduces the appeal of national highway ventures. Several states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Odisha, are insisting on linking stamp duty to contract value and project type, arguing that doing so would prevent revenue losses. Uttar Pradesh is even proposing to levy up to 12% stamp duty on toll-operate-transfer (TOT) projects, claiming these are lease agreements and should thus be subject to the tax. Some states are reluctant to forgo this significant revenue source, leading to demands from concessionaires and potential disputes, which could delay projects, said an unnamed source. The current practice involves the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) entering into contracts with concessionaires using a stamp paper worth only Rs 100. However, a state-level levy on contracts that direct revenues entirely to the central government effectively transfers funds without adding real value and complicates concession agreements, says an official. The ministry emphasized that regulatory clarity is crucial for sustaining investor confidence in the highway sector. Requiring state-wise stamp duty obligations contradicts the objective of a uniform national highway policy and opens the door to disputes, renegotiations, and delays in financial settlement, all of which hinder the construction and profitability of national highways, it added. The government believes treating toll projects as leases across states could create substantial fiscal and contractual headaches for the national highways sector. An industry expert warned that imposing state-specific stamp duties on highway projects that span multiple jurisdictions would disrupt financial planning for long-term public-private-partnership (PPP) projects in the national highway sector, introducing considerable uncertainty and long-term risks.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}