5146: GST collections surge, Apple vs CCI & interesting insights from Assembly elections 2026 | Editor's Picks

0:00Hello and welcome to Editor's Fix, a special daily podcast brought to you by Nalin Mehta, the Managing Editor of Money Control. This is a specially curated podcast that brings together the best of the days' exclusives from the stock markets, from the corporate world and the wider political economy from Money Control's 360 degree coverage. This voice has been generated using AI technology based on a voice clone of Money Control's Managing Editor Nalin Mehta. Even as global uncertainty lingers, India's economy is showing surprising resilience. GST collection surged to a record 2.43 lock-craw rupees in April, driven largely by year-end spending and a spike in import-related revenues, Ishan Gera reports. The April GST collection data pertains to transactions done in March. That same strength was visible in the auto sector where carmakers kicked off FY27 with robust sales growth. Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra and Hyundai all posted healthy April growth

1:02led by robust SUV demand reports Varun Singh. State support has, for now, helped Vodafone idea step back from the brink. Danish Khan reports that the risk to its immediate survival has eased with the relief on AGR payments, shifting the focus to securing bank funding, executing its CAPX plans and rebuilding investor confidence. But even as the company gets some breathing room, analysts caution that hefty spectrum dues remain a significant overhang. Big tech is pushing back against what it calls regulatory overreach. Apple has accused the Competition Commission of India of overreaching its power and usurping the Delhi High Court's authority by directing the tech giant to submit details on relevant global revenue. Priyanch Verma reports that Apple has challenged CCI's move to base penalties on global turnover, saying CCI's interpretation would expose Apple to a potential $38 billion fine. Meanwhile, reforms aimed at simplifying taxes are creating new complications.

2:05GST 2.0 may have rationalised tax rates, but it has deepened inverted duty structures in sectors such as textiles, food processing and electric vehicles, adridger strategy reports. An inverted duty structure occurs when taxes on inputs are higher than those on finished products. India's refined oil product exports fell 25% in March, hit by a steep drop in diesel and jet fuel shipments amid disruptions in the strait of Hormuz and higher export duties. Arunima Bharadwaj writes that even as exports and crude imports dipped, India's fuel demand continued to rise, with import dependence edging up to 89% in FY26. And finally, as we wait for results to two riveting political contests in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Ishan Gera looked into polling data to find some interesting insights. In Tamil Nadu, actor Vijay's TVK may find its strongest traction in about 58 constituencies

3:06where higher cinema screen penetration has historically translated into better vote shares for actor-led parties. In West Bengal, new voters could play a decisive role in at least 88 assembly constituencies, where the increase in electorate exceeds the victory margin from the 2021 elections, according to Ishan's analysis of constituency level data. That's all for today's episode. Thank you for tuning in. If you have any feedback or topics you'd like to discuss, feel free to reach out to us. Until then, stay informed and stay ahead with money control.