Parliament passes taxation Bill; Sitharaman says UPI will remain free for users

Parliament on Monday passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman clarified that the legislation does not impose any charges on users or small merchants for UPI transactions. "Any future merchant discount rate (MDR) will apply only to a limited category of merchant transactions above a prescribed threshold," she told the Rajya Sabha.