HYDERABAD, May 16 (Bernama) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly denied a news report that his government was planning to impose a tax on foreign travel.
"This is totally false. Not an iota of truth in this," Modi said on X on Friday.
A CNBC TV-18 report, citing sources, earlier said that a proposal was being discussed at the highest levels to levy a tax or surcharge on foreign travel but no final decision had been made.
"There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel," Modi said, quoting the report in his post.
The Indian prime minister in a speech on May 10 exhorted Indians to save fuel and avoid gold purchases and foreign travel to conserve foreign exchange due to the adverse impact of the West Asia conflict on India's economy.
The government on Wednesday raised import tax on gold and silver from six per cent to 15 per cent. India's state-run oil companies on Friday hiked retail petrol and diesel prices by three rupees per litre, or slightly more than three per cent, to offset some impact of costier imported crude.
-- BERNAMA
