New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi On Friday, it strongly rejected reports which claimed that the Center is considering imposing a cess, tax or surcharge on foreign travel to mitigate the financial impact of economic pressures linked to the ongoing conflict.Responding to the report in a post on Twitter, PM Modi said, “This is completely false. There is not even an iota of truth in it. There is no question of imposing such restrictions on foreign travel. We are committed to improving the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Ease of Living’ for our people.”

PM Modi’s reaction comes after a media report quoting government sources claimed that discussions are being held at the “highest level” regarding a possible temporary cess or surcharge on foreign travel.According to reports, the proposed levy is being considered to mitigate the fiscal impact arising from the current war situation and rising cost of crude oil and imports.The report further claims that any cess, tax or surcharge on foreign travel will flow directly to the Center instead of into a divisible tax pool and may remain in place for a year as a temporary measure.The report also said that the Finance Ministry did not respond to questions regarding the proposal.However, PM Modi refuted the claims and said that the government is focusing on easing business and travel-related processes for citizens rather than imposing new restrictions.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public gathering in Hyderabad on May 10 last week, had appealed to citizens to avoid buying gold and postpone non-essential foreign travel for a year to conserve foreign exchange reserves amid the global energy crisis caused by the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran.