Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government would be keen to hear views on the removal of long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax during Budget consultations, as investors in India and abroad raise questions about equity taxation.
Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi on Tuesday, Sitharaman said the debate also involves the securities transaction tax (STT) and whether different asset classes should be treated similarly.
"LTCG, a lot of people are commenting on, both Indian and foreign investors," she said. "This debate on STT in market and question of treating all asset classes similarly, there is a lot of debate. It is healthy to have this debate."
Sitharaman also said private capital was moving into sectors such as renewable energy and chip making.
"It is not just AI, but also semiconductors, the semiconductor chips and design and packaging. India is moving into areas which are going to enable AI," she said.