Modi Denies Reports of Tax or Surcharge on Foreign Travel in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday publicly denied reports that the Centre was considering imposing a tax, cess or surcharge on foreign travel, saying there was “no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel.” His intervention followed the rapid spread online of claims that officials were discussing a temporary levy amid rising global crude prices and economic strain linked to instability in West Asia.

In a post on the social media platform X, Modi rejected the allegation as baseless, writing, “This is totally false. Not an iota of truth in this. There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel. We remain committed to improving Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living for our people.” Minutes after the denial, the outlet that had published the report retracted it and issued an apology, stating the story was inaccurate.

The earlier report had said the proposal was under discussion at “the highest levels,” describing it as a potential temporary surcharge aimed at cushioning fiscal pressure associated with higher crude import costs. It also suggested that any such collection would flow directly to the central government rather than through the...