No GST on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000; finance ministry calls social media claims baseless

Recently, several posts claiming that the Indian government was planning to tax transactions above Rs 2,000 made using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) were viral on social media. UPI is an instant mobile-based payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India, or NPCI. It facilitates the easy transfer of money between two bank accounts using just a smartphone without requiring users to enter bank details each time. Currently, users are not charged for UPI transactions.

Instagram user @startupbydoc shared a graphic on April 14 claiming that UPI was no longer free, and as per the new rule, Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be charged on payments exceeding Rs 2,000. This slide has now been deleted, but at the time we took this screenshot, the post had received nearly 25,000 likes. (Archive)

X user @CaVivekkhatri posted on April 17 that the Indian government was reportedly considering imposing GST on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000. (Archive)

Similarly, social media users and websites, including Indian stockbroking firms such as Angel One and Cashify also amplified the claims.

Click to view slideshow.

Fact Check

Alt News did a keyword search using the terms mentioned in the viral post but did not come across news reports citing any official source claiming that the Indian government is considering imposing GST on UPI transactions.

We then came across a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance on April 18. In it, the ministry rejected claims that it is planning on imposing GST on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 and called the rumours “completely false, misleading, and without any basis.”

To sum up, several social media users and websites posted and published false claims that the government was planning on imposing GST on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, without any verification. 

The post No GST on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000; finance ministry calls social media claims baseless appeared first on Alt News.

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