NEW DELHI: A high-level NITI Aayog Committee of Chief Ministers has favoured continuance of service tax exemptions on digital payments beyond December 31, in order to make India a less-cash economy.
NITI Aayog, along with Nasscom and telecom operators, will also be launching a dedicated helpline for all digital payments-related queries soon.
“We want to recommend this (service tax exemptions) to Government of India to continue not only beyond December 31, even beyond March 31, and for the future also. If digital currency will be costlier than physical currency, then people will go to physical currency,” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said.
Naidu was speaking to reporters after the fourth meeting of Committee of Chief Ministers on digital payment.
Meanwhile, Nasscom, telecom operators, and NITI Aayog have come together to create a dedicated helpline – 14444 – for addressing all queries on digital payments as Government strives to attract majority of Indians into making cashless transactions post demonetisation.
Naidu also said plans are afoot to import one million PoS machines to enable cashless payments across India.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said that the Committee of Chief Ministers will present its interim report on digital payments movement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi within a week.
“We are planning a sustainable, long-term, policy to attract a majority in India to move to digital payments through providing incentives…,” Naidu said. (AGENCIES)
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