STT hike on F&O in Budget 2026: Income Tax Department issues clarification — ‘More than 500 times of GDP’ by Live mint | February 1, 2026 4:14 pm | Indian Stocks, Market, News Budget 2026: Presenting her ninth consecutive Budget on Sunday, 1 February, FM Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to hike the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on futures and options (F&O) trading.