Modi Is Seizing on Trump’s Tariffs to Cut India Taxes, Red Tape

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood on the ramparts of the 17th century Red Fort in New Delhi and announced a cut to consumption taxes, he took many of his own officials by surprise.

For the past year, bureaucrats had made steady progress in talks to overhaul the country’s complex goods and services tax, but they were still several months away from making an announcement, an official in New Delhi involved in the discussions said. State finance ministers, who will need to manage the bulk of the revenue losses from the tax cuts, say they weren’t consulted beforehand. The officials asked not to be identified in order to discuss internal matters.