MNS Chief Raj Thackeray slams new UPI MDR charges as a "digital trap", asks trading community to refuse payment

Mumbai, Sep 19 (UNI) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has launched a scathing broadside against the Central government over the upcoming implementation of the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on high-value Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, denouncing the framework as a calculated "digital trap". He has called upon the trading community to strongly resist and refuse payment of the new levies. Beginning October 15, 2026, person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions exceeding Rs2,000 will attract a 0.4% MDR, coupled with an 18% GST levied on the processing fee. While the administration maintains that the backend…