Union Finance Ministry to waive off tax on life-saving drug for Kerala infant

The Union Finance Ministry has decided to waive off all the taxes involved in the import of a life-saving drug for a child from Kerala suffering from a serious spinal issue.

In a Facebook post, IUML MP from Kerala E T Muhammed Basheer said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has informed him about the decision to waive off all the taxes involved in import of the medicine for 18-month-old Muhammed who is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, a rare and fatal genetic disease.

"We had successfully raised a total sum of Rs 46 crore for our SMA patient Muhammed of Mattool. I had earlier requested the Hon''ble Union finance minister to waive off all the tax worth crores, and now she has informed me of its approval via a formal letter," Basheer said.

The amount will be used for his treatment requiring a dose of Zolgensma, which is considered as one of the most expensive drugs in the world, and the rest of the amount will be used as per the direction of the state government. The Lok Sabha member thanked Sitharaman for her help.