India, March 26 -- In a major relief for big tech giants Google and Meta, finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed removing the 6% equalisation levy on online advertisements.

"(I) have proposed to remove (the) 6% equalization levy for advertisements," Sitharaman said while introducing the plan before the Parliament. Introduced as part of changes to the Finance Bill, 2025, the proposal to remove the levy was approved by the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, Economic Times reported that the new changes will come into effect on April 1. As per the report, the Centre has collected INR 3,343 Cr in revenue from the equalisation levy during the ongoing fiscal year (FY25), till March 15.

What Is Equalisation Levy? Also colloquially referred to as ...