Biz Masala

  BIZ MASALA   |   ECONOMY India’s tax receipts have grown at different speeds across corporate, non-corporate and securities transaction tax categories. Editorial illustration. ₹13.38 lakh crore collected net through October 14; refunds are also up sharply, making the pace more nuanced than the headline suggests By Biz Masala Desk   |   October 20, 2026 India’s net direct tax collections reached ₹13.38 lakh crore by October 14 in FY2026–27, up 13.21% from the same point a year earlier. Corporate tax receipts provided the strongest broad-based lift, while Securities Transaction Tax (STT) recorded the fastest percentage increase. The numbers point to healthy tax inflows so far, but they do not by themselves prove that every part of the economy is equally resilient or guarantee the government’s full-year fiscal outcome. Corporate receipts outpace non-corporate growth Net corporate tax collections rose 20.58% year on year to ₹5.99 lakh crore. Net no...

  BIZ MASALA   |   BUSINESS • MARKETS • PEOPLE • INSIGHT Can a review of STT and capital-gains tax bring investors back—or is the problem bigger   than tax? By Murthy ASR   |   Biz Masala   |   October 2026 THE BIG QUESTION India’s equity-tax debate has reopened just as foreign portfolio investors are selling heavily and the government begins preparing the next Union Budget. On October 13, 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government was open to hearing views on long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax and Securities Transaction Tax (STT), but declined to commit to any change. That is an invitation to debate—not a promise of relief. [1][2] The issue is more complicated than a simple choice between high taxes and rising markets. Taxes affect post-tax returns and trading costs, but global interest rates, oil prices, currency movements, valuations and earnings also shape investor decisions. Any credible analysis must keep ...

  BIZ MASALA   |   SIGNATURE BUSINESS STORY A tax change could reshape employee benefits. But can digital providers turn the opportunity into sustained, profitable growth? BY MURTHY ASR   •   BIZ MASALA The meal benefit is evolving from a paper coupon into a digital employee-benefits service. Illustrative editorial image. THE BIG QUESTION Will the higher qualifying meal-value threshold simply change salary structuring—or help build a larger fintech and enterprise-software market around employee benefits? The ₹200 change: what has actually changed? India’s notified Income-tax Rules, 2026 set a ₹200-per-meal limit for qualifying free food and non-alcoholic beverages provided during working hours at an employer’s office or business premises, or through paid vouchers usable only at eating joints. The rules took effect on April 1, 2026. The threshold is four times the earlier ₹50 amount. The distinction between a qualifying threshold and an employ...