# FM Sitharaman open to hearing views on LTCG and STT 2026-10-13T10:41:31+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday, 13 October, that she is open to hearing stakeholder views on long-term capital gains tax (LTCG) and securities transaction tax (STT). Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, she said the debate on these taxes is ‘healthy’ and that budget preparation has started, but it was not the right time to say what she will or will not consider. Indian equity markets reacted positively to her comments. The Sensex rose over 1,000 points and the Nifty gained more than 300 points in afternoon trade. Capital market stocks including BSE, CDSL and NSDL also rose. The Finance Minister reiterated that India’s macroeconomic fundamentals remain sound and that fiscal discipline, close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s heart, should not worry investors. Currently, holdings over 12 months are taxed at 12.5% as LTCG, with an exemption for gains up to Rs 1.25 lakh per financial year. In Budget 2026, STT on equity derivatives was revised higher to curb speculation. Budget preparation has begun, with debate on these taxes ongoing. ## Indian Opinion Analysis CNBC-TV18 and The Economic Times both report Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks on LTCG and STT at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum almost identically, producing uniform straight-reporting coverage. The key difference lies in framing: CNBC-TV18 leads with the minister’s statement and adds market and currency context, while The Economic Times leads with the market rally, attributing a 1,000-point Sensex surge and 300-point Nifty gain directly to her comments. The ET version also includes IT stock performance, inflation worries, and crude prices as tempering factors. Neither outlet criticises or endorses the government’s position, both simply report the event and market reaction. The next concrete step is the budget preparation Sitharaman mentioned has started, with debate on these taxes ongoing until then. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - cnbctv18.com (neutral report) Market-led framing with rally details - economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Market-led framing with rally details This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Budget 2026-27, LTCG, Nifty, Nirmala Sitharaman, Sensex, STT Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/fm-sitharaman-open-to-hearing-views-on-ltcg-and-stt/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/fm-sitharaman-open-to-hearing-views-on-ltcg-and-stt/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/