SBI Research urges govt to scrap LTCG tax on equities to attract foreign investors

SBI Research has urged the government to scrap long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax on equities and extend holding periods to two or three years to attract foreign investment. The proposals come amid heavy FPI outflows and pressure on the Indian rupee.

To boost foreign capital flows and provide respite to the equity markets, the State Bank of India (SBI) Research has urged the government to abolish the long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax on equities.

The tabled proposal also calls for extending the investment holding period to two or three years to bring stability, promote long-term investments, and improve investor confidence amid sustained selling by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).

As per a report by ANI, SBI Research, in its more recent Ecowrap release, stated that the government needs to focus on introducing structural reforms and meaningful changes to strengthen capital inflows. It also underscored that monetary and foreign exchange interventions by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) alone may not be sufficient to address pressure on the INR.