No Foreign Travel Levy Under Consideration, PM Modi Rebuts CNBC-TV18 Report

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly denied a media report by CNBC-TV18, which claimed that the Centre was considering imposing a tax or surcharge on foreign travel.

Calling the report ‘totally false’, the Prime Minister said there was ‘not an iota of truth’ in the claims being circulated. He issued the clarification through posts on X and Facebook while sharing a screenshot of the channel’s report.

The CNBC-TV18 report, described as an ‘exclusive’, had cited unnamed sources claiming that discussions were taking place ‘at highest levels’ regarding a possible levy on overseas travel.

According to the report, the proposal involved a tax, cess, or surcharge that would go directly to the Centre. The proposal remained under consideration in view of war-related fiscal pressures, higher crude oil prices, and rising import costs.

The report also stated that the Finance Ministry received a request for confirmation but did not issue an official response.

PM Modi categorically dismissed the claims and said the government was not considering any such move. He also asserted that the Centre remained committed to improving ease of doing business and ease of living for citizens.

The clarification comes after the Prime Minister recently appealed to people to remain cautious in response to continuing global economic uncertainty.

In an earlier advisory, PM Modi had encouraged citizens to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption, avoid excessive discretionary spending and adopt work-from-home practices where possible.

Experts have noted that India remains vulnerable to international energy price fluctuations because the country imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements.

The controversy also triggered fresh discussion over the publication of unverified reports related to sensitive economic policy decisions.

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