Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 10:07am on 16 Sep 2026,Wednesday Politics
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded that the government roll back the new UPI merchant charges, calling the move a “UPI tax”. His remarks came after new rules introduced a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on specified merchant transactions above ₹2,000 from October 15. The government has clarified that the MDR will be paid by merchants, not customers, while person-to-person UPI payments and merchant payments up to ₹2,000 will remain free. Gandhi argued that merchants could eventually pass the additional cost on to customers through higher prices. The government rejects the characterisation of MDR as a tax. (PC: HT)
