New Delhi: “If a fee-charging system for UPI usage is implemented in the future, then it will be collected only from merchants, not from customers,” said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The bill allowing the collection of charges for UPI transactions was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday (Aug. 6).
Congress General Secretary and spokesperson Jairam Ramesh, commenting on this on his X social media page, said, “The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill changes the current situation, under which UPI transactions have so far been free of charges. In the future, it will make it easier to levy charges on all kinds of digital money transactions.
The burden will ultimately fall on ordinary people. They may now have to pay to use the UPI app,” he said.
Tagging Jairam Ramesh’s post and responding to it, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Please note these things before spreading misinformation.
1. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applies only to merchants, not to users or customers. It will help banks and financial technology companies invest more in infrastructure, innovation, and security. Everyone who uses the UPI app will benefit from these investments.
2. Most importantly, the NPCI-led UPI and Services Steering Committee has not yet made a decision regarding MDR. This will happen only after Parliament passes the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes to amend Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
3. He has said that if your party, the Congress, had participated constructively when this bill was introduced in Parliament, all of this could have been discussed there itself.”
What is the background?
Earlier, amid heavy uproar in the Lok Sabha yesterday, the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed. Regarding this bill, economic experts said, “Under the current legal provisions, banks charge fees only for RTGS and NEFT transactions. Under the new bill, fees will now also be levied on UPI and RuPay card transactions.
This will not affect the general public. No fee will be charged for UPI transactions for everyday expenses such as buying vegetables and milk. Fees will be levied only on large business entities,” they said.