Business
Hike in premium exemption, indication on GST cut on premium budget expectations of insurers
An indication on reduction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate on health insurance, giving infrastructure status to healthcare facilities, hiking tax deduction for insurance premium are some the budget wishes listed out by the insurance sector.
Senior industry officials also urged the government to take steps to increase the insurance penetration in the country.
Even though the GST rates does not form part of the union budget, insurers want an indication towards slashing of the rates on insurance premium in the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech.
“Health insurance is an essential commodity and needs to be slotted in the five per cent GST tax slab to make it more affordable to access quality healthcare,” said Anup Rau, MD & CEO, Future Generali India Insurance
A significant reduction in the GST on all personal lines of products-from the existing 18 per cent to five per cent will encourage more people to buy health insurance. For senior citizens, it should be exempted.
According to Rau, increasing the tax deduction limit in Section 80D of the Income Tax Act – from Rs 25,000 to Rs 150,000 – can further help in penetration of health insurance.
“The rising medical costs and the increase in the incidence of critical illnesses make it an unmanageable expense for middle-income and lower-income groups. So, a higher tax deduction limit for health insurance plans is the need,” he argued.
Given the under-penetration of insurance in India and the need to bring a wider gamut of population under the safety net, small ticket size insurance products like micro-insurance, sachet products, etc. can be exempted from GST, Rau added.
The services by the healthcare providers don’t fall under the GST radar while at the same time buyer of the health insurance product pays the same given a large portion of the coverage is directed towards the cost of hospital bills, remarked Yogesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, Onsurity, an insurance-health tech startup.
“In the upcoming union budget, we request the Government to intensify steps towards increasing insurance penetration in the country, since even today a large part of the population in the country still remains underinsured or uninsured,” Roopam Asthana, CEO & Whole-Time Director, Liberty General Insurance said.
Citing the 2020-21 annual report of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Asthana said, the insurance penetration in India stands at 4.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) as against a global average of 7.4 per cent.
Asthana said as of March, 2021 the non-life insurance penetration in India stood at barely one per cent and urged the government to slash the GST from 18 per cent.
“Further even though GST is not covered under budget, however policy makers’ should also look towards exempting or lowering GST rates on life insurance products and these should ideally be classified under essential product category,” Tarun Rustagi, Chief Financial Officer, Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance said.
According to Rustagi, life insurance premium should be given a separate deduction limit of Rs 100,000 under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
Also, pension products should be given parity with NPS in tax incentives.
Further, for annuity products, deduction for principal component should be allowed and only the interest accretion should be taxed similar to fixed deposits.
Suitable changes should also be made under section 10(10D) to allow exemptions for all Life Insurance products where life insurance coverage is present which may be on the basis of policy term and sum assured ratio.
Business
Bank strike: Customers urged to finish key transactions before 3-day nationwide protest

New Delhi, Sep 26: Customers of several public sector and old-generation private sector banks have been advised to complete important banking transactions in advance as bank employees’ unions prepare for a three-day nationwide strike starting September 28. The proposed strike is expected to disrupt branch operations across many banks and coincides with the sector’s crucial half-yearly closing period.
The strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which claims to represent nearly 90 per cent of the country’s banking workforce.
The unions are pressing for the implementation of a five-day banking week, along with pension-related reforms and other employee welfare measures.
In a bid to reduce inconvenience to customers, the government has directed public sector banks to remain open on Sunday, September 27, enabling customers to complete urgent transactions before the strike begins.
State Bank of India (SBI) has issued an advisory stating that while it will make efforts to maintain essential services at branches and offices, some banking operations could be affected during the strike period.
The bank has urged customers to complete critical transactions ahead of time and make use of digital banking channels, including YONO, internet banking, mobile banking, UPI, ATMs and cash deposit machines, wherever possible.
Bank of India has also alerted customers about the planned strike and advised them to rely on the bank’s round-the-clock digital platforms such as internet banking, mobile banking, ATMs, business correspondent points and UPI services for their banking requirements.
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are also expected to participate in the agitation, potentially widening the impact on banking services across the country.
However, new-generation private sector banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank are expected to continue normal operations, offering customers an alternative for routine banking services during the strike period.
Earlier this week, the Finance Ministry appealed to bank employees’ unions to avoid the strike and resolve pending issues through dialogue. The ministry maintained that a majority of the concerns raised by the unions have already been substantially addressed.
Business
Nifty, Sensex dip for 7th week amid high crude prices, bond yields

Mumbai, Sep 26: The Indian equity benchmarks posted notable losses for the seventh consecutive week, as crude prices stayed elevated and US bond yields surged.
Nifty declined 0.88 per cent during the week and added 0.34 per cent on the last trading day to reach 23,140. At close, Sensex was up 315 points, or 0.43 per cent, at 73,895. It lost 0.54 per cent during the week.
Markets came under heavy selling pressure midweek as benchmarks slid over 1.6 per cent on Thursday before a modest rebound on Friday driven by value buying.
Brent crude stayed above the $105-per-barrel mark for most of the week, while WTI crude also remained elevated above $90 per barrel amid continued geopolitical uncertainty and concerns over global oil supplies.
However, oil prices moderated toward the end of the week, and eased global risk sentiment, concerns of pressure on the import bill, inflation expectations, the rupee and corporate input costs.
Analysts said that the global bond market continued to add pressure, with the US 10-year Treasury yield moving above 5.10 per cent during the week. Elevated yields continue to tighten global financial conditions and can reduce the relative attractiveness of emerging market assets, they added.
Foreign institutional selling has intensified significantly compared with previous weeks and has become a major headwind for domestic equities.
Meanwhile, Iran has submitted a new seven-day proposal to the United States to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifts its naval blockade, waives oil sanctions and agrees to a broader ceasefire.
The 23,000 zone remains the immediate support area for Nifty, while the 23,200 region remains the immediate resistance zone, said analysts.
Market participants are also keen on the trajectory of rupee, with persistent oil-related demand for dollars and continued FII outflows potentially keeping the currency under pressure, although RBI intervention has helped contain excessive volatility.
Business
LG Electronics India gets notice to pay up Rs 153.58 crore as customs duty

New Delhi, Sep 25: LG Electronics India Ltd has received a show cause notice from the Customs authorities for the recovery of Rs 153.58 crore as customs duty for allegedly not including royalty payments in the assessable value of certain imported goods, the company has stated in a stock exchange filing.
The show cause notice has been issued following an investigation carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), alleging non-inclusion of royalty payments in the assessable value of certain imported goods.
The notice, dated September 22, was issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Customs, Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai, and was received by the company on September 24.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics, along with arch rival and compatriot Samsung, are also facing an investigation for alleged wrong claims of concessional 5 per cent customs duty on imported OLED glass screens. The DRI authorities have expressed the view that the concessional rate is meant for the older LCD and LEDs used in products sold in the mass market. For OLED parts, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is of the opinion that both Samsung and LG should have paid a 15 per cent customs duty, according to a Reuters report.
LG Electronics is reported to have sent responses to written questions by the authorities on its OLED imports and has voluntarily deposited the money to pay for the difference in customs duty as estimated by officials.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics India reported a 27.2 per cent year-on-year surge in net profit to Rs 653 crore for the first quarter of financial year 2026-27compared with the corresponding figure of Rs 513 crore in the same quarter of 2025-26, driven by strong summer demand and premium product sales.
The company’s revenue rose 15.5 per cent during the April-June quarter to Rs 7,233 crore compared with the corresponding figure of Rs 6,262 crore in the same quarter of the previous financial year.
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