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UNION BUDGET 2026-27: What Gets Cheaper, What Gets Costlier—Complete Breakdown

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s presentation of the Union Budget 2026-27 marks a strategic pivot toward growth acceleration, inclusive development, and targeted relief for consumers and businesses. Against the backdrop of projected GDP growth of 6.8-7.2% for FY27, the Budget emphasizes boosting middle-class spending power while maintaining fiscal discipline.

The budget introduces a nuanced approach: significant duty cuts and tax rationalizations benefiting consumers, exporters, and strategic sectors, while implementing measured increases targeting high-risk trading activities and ensuring tax compliance. This article provides a detailed analysis of the measures that reduce costs and those that increase them.

WHAT GETS CHEAPER IN UNION BUDGET 2026-27

Consumer Relief Measures

The Budget prioritizes household financial relief through strategic duty reductions and tax rate cuts addressing everyday expenses, travel, and healthcare.

1. OVERSEAS TRAVEL & TOURISM

Overseas Tour Package Tax Relief

Current Situation:

  • Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on overseas tour packages: 5-20%
  • Inconsistent rates creating compliance complexity
  • Burden on travel intermediaries and consumers

Budget Change:

  • New Uniform Rate: 2% TCS
  • Applicable to: All overseas tour program packages
  • No Amount Stipulation: Full coverage across all price points

Impact & Benefit:

  • Significant cost reduction for international travelers
  • Approximately 60-90% reduction in tax burden
  • Enhanced affordability of global tourism
  • Boost to travel industry revenues
  • Stimulus for foreign exchange earnings

Consumer Example:

  • ₹1 lakh tour package: ₹1,000-2,000 TCS (from ₹5,000-20,000)
  • Family vacation cost reduction: 5-20% savings on tour packaging

Business Benefit:

  • Travel agents and tour operators face lower compliance burden
  • Simplified rate structure
  • Increased customer demand from lower costs

2. FOREIGN EDUCATION & MEDICAL EXPENSES

Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) Rate Reduction

Current Situation:

  • TDS on education remittances: 5%
  • TDS on medical remittances: 5%
  • Creates friction in overseas education and treatment access

Budget Change:

  • New Uniform Rate: 2% TDS
  • Scope: Both education and medical-related remittances
  • Applicability: All LRS remittances for these purposes

Impact & Benefit:

  • 60% reduction in TDS burden
  • Enhanced affordability of quality international education
  • Better access to world-class medical treatment
  • Support for youth skill development abroad
  • Medical tourism facilitation

Consumer Impact:

  • ₹25 lakh education remittance: ₹12,500 TDS (from ₹25,000)
  • ₹10 lakh medical treatment: ₹5,000 TDS (from ₹10,000)
  • Annual savings for families pursuing overseas education/healthcare

Strategic Outcome:

  • Positions India competitively for retaining talent pursuing higher education
  • Improves healthcare accessibility for complex medical conditions

3. PERSONAL GOODS IMPORTS

Personal Use Imports Customs Duty Reduction

Current Situation:

  • Basic Customs Duty on personal-use imports: 20%
  • Affects returning travelers, expatriates, and gift receivers
  • Significant cost burden on international parcels

Budget Change:

  • New Rate: 10% BCD on all dutiable personal-use goods
  • 50% Reduction: Halves the customs duty load
  • Universal Application: All categories of personal-use imports

Impact & Benefit:

  • Direct cost savings for international parcel receivers
  • Enhanced affordability of imported consumer goods
  • Support for diaspora maintaining connections with relatives
  • Increased international e-commerce participation
  • Relief for expatriate communities

Consumer Example:

  • ₹10,000 imported gadget: ₹1,000 duty (from ₹2,000)
  • ₹50,000 electronic equipment: ₹5,000 duty (from ₹10,000)
  • 50% savings on personal imports across categories

Sectoral Impact:

  • E-commerce platforms benefit from reduced import costs
  • International gift giving becomes more affordable
  • Courier services experience demand boost

Healthcare & Life-Saving Medicines

The Budget prioritizes healthcare accessibility through comprehensive medicines exemptions.

4. CANCER DRUGS DUTY EXEMPTION

Critical Healthcare Relief

Scope:

  • 17 major cancer-treating drugs and medicines
  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully Exempted
  • Applicability: All import channels

Affected Drugs:

  • Targeted cancer therapies
  • Chemotherapy agents
  • Immunotherapy medications
  • Biosimilar cancer treatments

Impact & Benefit:

  • Eliminates import cost barriers for cancer treatment
  • Significantly reduces treatment burden on patients
  • Improves medication affordability and accessibility
  • Supports cancer care infrastructure development
  • Humanitarian focus on vulnerable patient populations

Patient Impact:

  • Cancer drug prices: 10-30% reduction through import duty elimination
  • Treatment accessibility: Enhanced for economically weaker sections
  • Annual cost savings: ₹1-5 lakh per patient (depending on drug)

Healthcare System Benefit:

  • Reduces burden on public healthcare budgets
  • Encourages private sector investment in oncology
  • Aligns with universal healthcare aspirations

5. RARE DISEASE MEDICINES EXPANSION

Widened Access to Rare Disease Treatments

Program Enhancement:

  • Previous Coverage: Select rare diseases
  • New Addition: 7 additional rare diseases
  • Scope: Personal imports of drugs, medicines, FSMP (Food for Special Medical Purposes)

Exemption Scope:

  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted
  • Applicable to: All imported rare disease medications
  • Coverage: Diagnostic foods and specialized nutritional products

New Diseases Covered:

  • Specific genetic disorders
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Neurological conditions
  • Inherited diseases
  • Complex systemic disorders

Impact & Benefit:

  • Extends rare disease treatment access to more patient populations
  • Reduces financial barriers to specialized medications
  • Encourages medical tourism for rare disease treatment
  • Supports patient advocacy and disease awareness
  • Improves quality of life for rare disease patients

Economic Impact:

  • Rare disease treatment costs: 20-50% reduction through duty exemption
  • Patient families: Significant financial relief from medical expenses
  • Healthcare outcomes: Enhanced treatment options and accessibility

Manufacturing & Export Promotion

Strategic duty reductions supporting domestic manufacturing competitiveness and export growth.

6. SEAFOOD EXPORT INPUT DUTY REDUCTION

Enhanced Input Import Facility

Program:

  • Duty-Free Imports Scheme for seafood processing inputs
  • Expansion of existing facility

Current Limits:

  • Maximum Import Allowance: 1% of FOB (Free on Board) value of previous year’s export turnover
  • Specified inputs only

Budget Enhancement:

  • New Limit: 3% of FOB value
  • 300% Increase: Tripled input import capacity
  • Applicability: All specified inputs for seafood processing exports

Affected Input Categories:

  • Processing chemicals and additives
  • Packaging materials
  • Quality assurance inputs
  • Food safety compliance materials

Impact & Benefit:

  • Enhanced production capacity for seafood exporters
  • Improved cost competitiveness in global markets
  • Increased export volumes and foreign exchange earnings
  • Support for coastal state economies
  • Fisheries sector growth acceleration

Exporter Impact:

  • Production costs: 5-10% reduction through increased duty-free input allowance
  • Export competitiveness: Improved pricing in global seafood markets
  • Margin expansion: Enhanced profitability for seafood processors

Economic Outcome:

  • India’s seafood export growth: Projected 15-20% increase
  • Employment in fisheries sector: Significant job creation
  • Coastal region development: Enhanced economic opportunities

7. LEATHER PRODUCTS EXPORT EXPANSION

Shoe Uppers Duty-Free Import Access

Previous Structure:

  • Duty-Free Inputs: Available for leather/synthetic footwear exports only
  • Gap: Shoe uppers (key intermediate product) excluded

Budget Change:

  • Extension: Duty-Free imports now apply to Shoe Uppers exports
  • Scope: All specified inputs used in shoe uppers manufacturing
  • Applicability: Full production value chain for shoe upper exports

Extended Export Timeline:

  • Previous Allowance: 6 months from initial export clearance
  • New Allowance: 1 year from clearance date
  • Applicable Products: Leather/textile garments, leather/synthetic footwear, leather products

Impact & Benefit:

  • Expanded product coverage for export duty support
  • Longer supply chain management window
  • Enhanced operational flexibility for exporters
  • Increased export value-addition
  • Competitive pricing in global leather markets

Exporter Impact:

  • Input costs: 10-15% reduction for shoe uppers manufacturers
  • Production timeline: Extended 1-year window improves supply chain management
  • Export volumes: Anticipated 20-25% growth in leather product exports

Sectoral Impact:

  • Leather industry: Enhanced global competitiveness
  • Employment: Significant job creation in leather processing
  • Regional development: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab leather clusters

8. MINERALS & MINERAL PRODUCTS

Scrap & Minerals Customs Duty Rationalization

Affected Categories:

  • Alcoholic liquor
  • Scrap materials
  • Minerals
  • Tendu leaves

Rate Changes:

Alcoholic Liquor, Scrap & Minerals:

  • Current Rate: Variable (5%-20%)
  • New Rate: 2% Unified Customs Duty
  • Rationalization: Simplified structure

Tendu Leaves (Special Rate Reduction):

  • Current Rate: 5% Customs Duty
  • New Rate: 2% Customs Duty
  • Reduction: 60% rate cut

Impact & Benefit:

  • Simplified tariff structure reducing compliance complexity
  • Lower raw material costs for dependent industries
  • Enhanced export competitiveness for mineral-based products
  • Support for tribal communities dependent on tendu leaf collection
  • Cost reduction across mineral-dependent manufacturing sectors

Industry Impact:

  • Scrap metal processors: 10-20% cost reduction in raw materials
  • Mineral-dependent industries: Improved competitiveness
  • Tendu leaf-dependent industries: Enhanced profitability

Energy & Strategic Infrastructure

9. RENEWABLE ENERGY EQUIPMENT

Energy Transition Support Duties Exemption

Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturing:

Current Exemption: Capital goods for Lithium-Ion Cell manufacturing Budget Extension: Also include battery energy storage systems (BESS) manufacturing

Exemption Scope:

  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted
  • Applicable to: All capital equipment for BESS production
  • Equipment Types: Storage cells, integration systems, testing apparatus

Solar Glass Manufacturing:

Input Support: Sodium antimonate (solar glass manufacturing input) Exemption: Basic Customs Duty on import Benefit: Reduces solar glass production costs

Impact & Benefit:

  • Renewable energy equipment costs: 15-25% reduction
  • Solar manufacturing: Enhanced competitiveness
  • Battery storage ecosystem: Rapid development support
  • Clean energy transition acceleration
  • Domestic battery and storage manufacturing growth

Strategic Impact:

  • India’s renewable energy expansion: Facilitated through cost reduction
  • Energy security: Enhanced through domestic battery production
  • Global climate commitments: Supported through manufacturing incentives

10. NUCLEAR POWER SECTOR SUPPORT

Nuclear Equipment & Materials Duty Exemption

Program Enhancement:

  • Current Exemption: Capital goods for Nuclear Power Projects (limited timeline and capacity)
  • Budget Expansion:
    • Timeline Extended: Till year 2035 (long-term certainty)
    • Scope Expanded: All nuclear plants irrespective of capacity

Exemption Scope:

  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted on all nuclear project capital goods
  • Applicability: All nuclear power plants across capacities
  • Equipment Types: Reactor components, safety systems, infrastructure

Impact & Benefit:

  • Nuclear power expansion: Cost-reduced, long-term support
  • Energy security: Enhanced through nuclear capacity additions
  • Climate goals: Supported through clean energy infrastructure
  • Technology investment: Attracted through duty exemption certainty
  • Employment: Job creation in nuclear sector and manufacturing

Economic Impact:

  • Nuclear plant construction costs: 8-12% reduction through duty exemptions
  • India’s nuclear capacity: Projected growth supported
  • Foreign investment: Attracted through long-term certainty

11. CRITICAL MINERALS PROCESSING

Capital Goods Import Duty Exemption

Strategic Focus: Domestic processing of critical minerals

Exemption Scope:

  • Capital goods: Required for critical minerals processing in India
  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted
  • Applicability: All mineral processing equipment imports

Strategic Minerals Covered:

  • Rare earth elements
  • Lithium and battery minerals
  • Strategic metals
  • Industrial minerals

Impact & Benefit:

  • Domestic processing establishment: Encouraged through cost reduction
  • Import dependency: Reduced through local processing capacity
  • Value-addition: Enhanced through domestic processing investment
  • Supply chain resilience: Built through local mineral ecosystem
  • Employment: Job creation in mineral processing sector

Economic Impact:

  • Processing equipment costs: 20-25% reduction
  • Domestic processing capacity: Rapid expansion enabled
  • Mineral export value: Enhanced through value-addition

Aerospace & Manufacturing

12. CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING

Aircraft Components Duty Exemption

Scope:

  • Components and parts: For civilian, training, and other aircraft manufacturing
  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted
  • Applicability: All aircraft types (commercial, training, cargo)

Equipment Coverage:

  • Airframe components
  • Avionics systems
  • Propulsion components
  • Interior components

Impact & Benefit:

  • Aircraft manufacturing costs: 10-15% reduction
  • Aviation industry development: Cost-incentivized growth
  • Maintenance & repair ecosystem: Established through components availability
  • Aviation manufacturing: Emerging sector supported

13. DEFENCE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE

MRO Sector Support

Raw Materials: For maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) of defence aircraft

Exemption Scope:

  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted on MRO-related imports
  • Beneficiary: Defence sector units
  • Equipment Types: Replacement parts, service materials, consumables

Impact & Benefit:

  • Defence aircraft MRO costs: 15-20% reduction
  • Maintenance capability: Enhanced for defence forces
  • Operational readiness: Improved through cost-effective maintenance
  • Self-reliance: Supported through domestic MRO capability

14. CIVILIAN ELECTRONICS & APPLIANCES

Microwave Oven Manufacturing

Component Support:

  • Specified parts: Used in microwave oven manufacturing
  • Basic Customs Duty: Fully exempted
  • Strategic Goal: Deepen consumer electronics value-addition

Impact & Benefit:

  • Microwave oven manufacturing costs: 8-12% reduction
  • Consumer electronics sector: Cost-competitiveness enhanced
  • Domestic manufacturing: Incentivized through duty exemption
  • Consumer prices: Downstream cost reduction potential

Trade & Export Facilitation

15. FISHERIES SECTOR EXPANSION

Marine Resources Economic Maximization

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) & High Seas

Current Limitation: Limited support for fish caught beyond territorial waters

Budget Enhancement:

Duty-Free Fish Catch:

  • Scope: Fish caught in EEZ or High Seas by Indian fishing vessels
  • Customs Duty: Fully exempted
  • Applicability: All fish species caught outside territorial waters

Export Classification:

  • Fish landed on foreign ports: Treated as goods export
  • Export benefits: All export incentives applicable
  • Trade benefits: Standard export procedures followed

Safeguards:

  • Catch verification: Anti-misuse mechanisms
  • Transit monitoring: Transshipment compliance
  • Regulatory oversight: Prevention of illegal catch

Impact & Benefit:

  • Fisheries sector revenue: Significant enhancement
  • Fishermen income: 15-25% increase from expanded EEZ access
  • Foreign exchange earnings: Increased through fish exports
  • Global seafood markets: Enhanced Indian participation
  • Coastal employment: Expanded opportunities for fishing communities

Economic Impact:

  • High seas fish catch: Economically viable through duty exemption
  • Export competitiveness: Enhanced pricing power
  • Fisheries GDP contribution: Projected growth

16. E-COMMERCE EXPORT SUPPORT

Courier Exports Value Cap Removal

Current Limitation:

  • Value Ceiling: ₹10 lakh per consignment
  • Restriction: Limits small business and artisan export capacity
  • Constraint: Prevents scaling of cross-border e-commerce

Budget Change:

  • New Limit: NO LIMIT (Complete removal)
  • Applicability: All e-commerce courier exports
  • Beneficiaries: Small businesses, artisans, start-ups

Additional Measure:

  • Rejected/Returned Consignments: Technology-enabled handling
  • Identification: Advanced systems for tracking returns
  • Processing: Efficient procedures for returned goods

Impact & Benefit:

  • Small business export capacity: Unlimited growth potential
  • Artisan global market access: Significantly enhanced
  • Start-up e-commerce: Scaling friction removed
  • Cross-border e-commerce: Facilitation and growth support
  • MSMEs: Global market participation enabled

Economic Impact:

  • E-commerce exports: Projected 100%+ growth
  • Small business revenue: Significant expansion opportunity
  • Global market penetration: Enhanced for Indian products
  • Employment: Job creation in e-commerce logistics

Consumer & Business Benefit:

  • Global reach: Indian artisans and small businesses access worldwide customers
  • Competitive advantage: Unrestricted export capacity
  • Revenue growth: Unlimited scaling opportunity

Nuclear & Strategic Sectors

17. NUCLEAR POWER GOODS

Nuclear Equipment & Materials Support

Scope:

  • All goods required for nuclear power projects
  • Exemption: Basic Customs Duty
  • Duration: Extended through 2035

Strategic Benefit:

  • Nuclear sector development: Cost-supported expansion
  • Energy security: Enhanced through nuclear capacity
  • Climate goals: Supported through clean energy infrastructure

WHAT GETS COSTLIER IN UNION BUDGET 2026-27

Tax Compliance & Penalty Increases

While the Budget emphasizes relief measures, it also implements targeted increases to address non-compliance and speculative trading.

1. INCOME TAX MISREPORTING PENALTY

Enhanced Penalty for Intentional Misreporting

Current Framework:

  • Underreporting immunity: Available with tax payment framework
  • Misreporting: Previously subject to different penalty structure

Budget Change:

Penalty Enhancement:

  • Penalty Rate: 100% of tax amount (as additional income tax)
  • Applicability: Cases of income/asset misreporting
  • Calculation: Over and above regular tax and interest due

Mechanism:

  • Taxpayer must pay: Full tax + Interest + 100% penalty (as additional income tax)
  • Immunity: Both penalty immunity and prosecution immunity available
  • Purpose: Encourage voluntary disclosure while maintaining deterrence

Scope of Misreporting:

  • Intentional misclassification of income
  • False asset valuations
  • Incorrect deduction claims
  • Deliberately wrong expense reporting

Impact & Disincentive:

  • Effective tax rate doubling: Creates strong deterrence
  • Voluntary disclosure: Encouraged through immunity framework
  • Compliance: Enhanced through penalty increase
  • Tax integrity: Improved through stronger enforcement

Taxpayer Impact:

  • Misreported ₹10 lakh income: Additional ₹10 lakh penalty (beyond base tax)
  • Effective consequence: Doubles tax liability plus interest
  • Behavior change: Incentivizes accurate initial reporting

2. NON-DISCLOSURE OF MOVABLE ASSETS

Penalty Introduction for Undisclosed Personal Assets

Current Situation:

  • Non-immovable foreign assets <₹20 lakh: No penalty
  • Recently expanded: Prosecution immunity also provided

New Penalty:

  • Movable Assets: Now attract penalties for non-disclosure
  • Applicability: Undisclosed personal movable property
  • Asset Types: Jewelry, vehicles, financial instruments, art, collectibles

Penalty Structure:

  • Rate: Proportional to asset value
  • Additional Tax: Levied as additional income tax
  • Enforcement: Triggered during income tax assessments

Impact:

  • Asset declaration: Incentivized through penalty risk
  • Tax compliance: Improved for personal asset reporting
  • Hidden wealth: Increased visibility to tax authorities
  • Revenue: Incremental from asset-related tax compliance

Taxpayer Impact:

  • Undisclosed jewelry worth ₹50 lakh: Subject to penalty and back taxes
  • Behavioral change: Enhanced asset disclosure in tax returns
  • Compliance burden: Increased documentation requirements

Rationale:

  • Tax integrity: Ensures complete asset visibility
  • Wealth taxation: Improves effectiveness through comprehensive asset reporting
  • Black money: Reduces through disclosure requirements

Securities Trading Taxes

3. SECURITIES TRANSACTION TAX (STT) INCREASES

Enhanced STT on Derivatives Market

Strategic Purpose:

  • Derivatives market speculation: Address excessive volatility
  • Trading volume: Moderate through cost increase
  • Market stability: Enhance through reduced speculative activity

Futures STT Increase:

Current Rate: 0.02% STT on futures New Rate: 0.05% STT Increase: 150% (2.5x increase)

Impact:

  • Futures trading costs: Increased significantly
  • Speculative volume: Likely reduction
  • Market stability: Enhanced through higher transaction costs
  • Hedging: Still economically viable, speculation deterred

Options STT Increases:

Options Premium:

  • Current Rate: 0.10% STT
  • New Rate: 0.15% STT
  • Increase: 50%

Options Exercise:

  • Current Rate: 0.125% STT
  • New Rate: 0.15% STT (convergence)
  • Increase: 20%

Combined Effect: Uniform 0.15% rate across options transactions

Impact & Rationale:

  • Options trading costs: Increased to moderate volume
  • Speculative strategies: Higher cost disincentive
  • Legitimate hedging: Still viable with manageable costs
  • Market liquidity: Preserved while reducing speculation
  • Volatility: Potentially reduced through higher transaction costs

Trader Impact:

  • Trading costs: 50-150% increase in STT burden
  • Strategy economics: Speculative strategies become unprofitable
  • Market participation: Institutional and legitimate hedging continues
  • Volumes: Anticipated reduction in speculative volume

Market Impact:

  • Derivatives market: Expected moderation in volume
  • Price stability: Potential improvement through reduced speculation
  • Liquidity: Managed through institutional participation maintenance

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS: CHEAPER VS. COSTLIER

Summary Table

Category Item Impact Change
Travel & Tourism Overseas tour packages CHEAPER TCS: 5-20% → 2%
Education Foreign education remittances CHEAPER TDS: 5% → 2%
Medical Medical tourism/treatment CHEAPER TDS: 5% → 2%
Personal Imports Goods for personal use CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 10%
Healthcare Cancer drugs CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Healthcare Rare disease medicines CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Exports Seafood inputs CHEAPER Limit: 1% → 3% of export value
Exports Shoe uppers CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Raw Materials Scrap, minerals CHEAPER Duty: 5-20% → 2%
Energy Battery manufacturing CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Energy Solar glass CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Energy Nuclear equipment CHEAPER Extended exemption till 2035
Manufacturing Aircraft components CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Electronics Microwave components CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
Fisheries High-seas fish catch CHEAPER Duty: 20% → 0% (exemption)
E-Commerce Courier exports CHEAPER Limit removed (₹10L → unlimited)
Tax Compliance Misreporting penalty COSTLIER Standard rate → 100% surcharge
Asset Disclosure Undisclosed movables COSTLIER No penalty → Penalties imposed
Trading Futures contracts COSTLIER STT: 0.02% → 0.05%
Trading Options premium COSTLIER STT: 0.10% → 0.15%
Trading Options exercise COSTLIER STT: 0.125% → 0.15%

ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT

GDP Growth Context

FY27 GDP Growth Projection: 6.8%-7.2%

Budget’s Role in Growth:

Cost Reduction Measures (Growth Acceleration):

  • Consumer relief measures enhance household spending power
  • Export duty reductions support manufacturing competitiveness
  • Energy sector incentives facilitate transition and capacity addition
  • E-commerce facilitation enables digital economy growth
  • Strategic sector support promotes manufacturing ecosystems

Cost Increase Measures (Tax Integrity):

  • Tax compliance enhancements improve revenue efficiency
  • Speculative trading moderation reduces market volatility
  • Asset disclosure requirements expand tax base
  • Misreporting penalties enhance tax integrity

Net Effect: Balanced approach supporting growth while maintaining fiscal discipline

SECTORAL IMPACT ANALYSIS

Beneficiary Sectors

1. Tourism & Hospitality

  • Impact: 15-20% growth in overseas tour bookings
  • Mechanism: 60-90% TCS reduction on tour packages
  • Beneficiaries: Travel agencies, tour operators, hospitality sector

2. Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals

  • Impact: Enhanced drug accessibility and affordability
  • Mechanism: Duty-free imports of cancer and rare disease medicines
  • Beneficiaries: Patients, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies

3. Seafood & Fisheries

  • Impact: 15-25% growth in export volumes
  • Mechanism: Enhanced input import allowance and EEZ access
  • Beneficiaries: Seafood exporters, fishing communities, coastal economy

4. Leather & Textiles

  • Impact: 20-25% growth in leather product exports
  • Mechanism: Duty-free shoe uppers imports and extended timeline
  • Beneficiaries: Leather manufacturers, artisans, leather clusters

5. Renewable Energy

  • Impact: 25-30% cost reduction in equipment
  • Mechanism: Duty exemptions for batteries, solar glass, critical minerals
  • Beneficiaries: Solar manufacturers, battery makers, energy companies

6. Electronics & Appliances

  • Impact: 8-15% cost reduction in manufacturing
  • Mechanism: Components and parts duty exemptions
  • Beneficiaries: Appliance manufacturers, consumer electronics companies

7. Aerospace & Defence

  • Impact: 10-20% cost reduction in manufacturing and MRO
  • Mechanism: Aircraft components and defence materials exemptions
  • Beneficiaries: Aviation companies, defence contractors

8. E-Commerce & MSMEs

  • Impact: Unlimited export capacity
  • Mechanism: Value cap removal on courier exports
  • Beneficiaries: Small businesses, artisans, start-ups

Affected Sectors (Increased Costs)

1. Financial Markets

  • Impact: Reduced speculative derivatives trading
  • Mechanism: STT increases on futures and options
  • Affected: Active traders, proprietary trading firms
  • Positive Effect: Potentially reduced market volatility

2. Tax Compliance Risk

  • Impact: Higher costs for non-compliant taxpayers
  • Mechanism: Penalty increases for misreporting and non-disclosure
  • Affected: Individuals with undisclosed assets or income
  • Deterrent Effect: Enhanced compliance incentives

CONSUMER PRICE IMPLICATIONS

Direct Price Reduction Likelihood

High Probability (>50% price reduction):

  • Overseas tour packages: 5-15% reduction
  • International education costs: 2-5% reduction
  • Cancer drug prices: 10-30% reduction
  • Imported electronics: 2-8% reduction

Moderate Probability (20-50% price reduction):

  • Renewable energy equipment: 5-10% reduction (long-term effect)
  • Seafood export prices: Competitive improvement (not direct consumer impact)

Indirect Price Effects

Price Stability/Enhancement:

  • Battery and energy storage: Potential long-term affordability through ecosystem development
  • Manufacturing costs: Improved competitiveness may sustain prices during growth phase

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Revenue Impact

Revenue-Positive Measures:

  • Income tax misreporting penalties: Enhanced compliance and revenue
  • Securities transaction taxes: Slight increase in derivatives market tax revenue
  • Non-disclosure penalties: Expanded tax base through asset disclosure

Revenue-Neutral Measures:

  • Duty exemptions: Offset by increased volumes in exempt sectors (e-commerce, exports)
  • TCS/TDS reductions: Offset by increased transaction volumes at lower rates

Consolidated Fiscal Impact: Designed to be broadly neutral while improving growth and tax integrity

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As a team lead and current affairs writer at Adda247, I am responsible for researching and producing engaging, informative content designed to assist candidates in preparing for national and state-level competitive government exams. I specialize in crafting insightful articles that keep aspirants updated on the latest trends and developments in current affairs. With a strong emphasis on educational excellence, my goal is to equip readers with the knowledge and confidence needed to excel in their exams. Through well-researched and thoughtfully written content, I strive to guide and support candidates on their journey to success.

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