The US Treasury is considering a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, a Treasury spokesperson said on Friday. In a post on X, Treasurer Brandon Beach shared a coin draft and said that the first drafts, photos shared by a user on X, honor America’s 250th Birthday. “No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real. Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over,” Beach said. The draft design of the coin, which was overseen by the Office of the US Treasurer Brandon Beach, features Trump’s profile on one side of the coin. The opposite side depicts Trump with a clenched fist in front of an American flag alongside the words “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT.” “Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever before,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said in a statement. “While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles.” In 2020, Congress passed bipartisan legislation, signed by Trump during his first term, that authorises the Treasury Secretary to issue one-dollar coins during the 2026 calendar year. The design of those coins must be “emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial.” Beach, who supervises the US Mint, said in a post on X Friday that the administration would share “more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States govt is over.” Living people are rarely featured on US money. Congress has imposed various restrictions on the ability of Treasury to feature living people and living presidents on currency. It’s not clear whether the latest Trump coin envisioned by the Treasury Department would run afoul of those laws.

NEW DELHI: On the back of a fillip provided by a reduction in GST on 375 items, Indian consumers flocked to stores and car dealerships resulting in the highest Navratri sales in over a decade, govt officials said, citing industry data.They argued that the move lowered prices, helping families upgrade vehicles, buy white goods and spend more freely on lifestyle products, “turning festive cheer into record-breaking consumption”.GST rates for food items, daily-use products, white goods, cement and automobiles have been slashed as the Centre and the states agreed to reduce the number of slabs and end cess on all luxury and sin products, barring tobacco. Apart from making the indirect tax regime simpler, the idea was to boost consumption, even if it resulted in a temporary impact on tax collections.

Car sales vroom

“By rationalising GST slabs and easing the tax burden on both essential and aspirational items, govt fostered an environment of confident spending. As a result, brands and retailers reported sales growth ranging from 25% to 100%, marking a major boost for India’s consumption-driven economy,” an official said.

GST reset, pent-up demand driving sales over last 10 days

Although companies had complained about an adverse impact on sales after PM Narendra Modi first announced the plan for GST rate rationalisation in his Independence Day speech, collections in Sept – based on transactions in Aug – grew at over 9%, the fastest pace of growth in four months, according to the data released on Wednesday.While goods and services are more affordable, especially after govt nudged businesses to pass on the benefits to consumers, pent up demand is also a factor behind a surge in sales over the last 10 days.As a result, companies such as Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest carmaker, reported 3.5 lakh bookings with nearly 2.5 lakh pending orders. By the end of Navratri, it was expected to deliver 2 lakh vehicles, 2.3 times last year’s level of 85,000 cars. Similarly, M&M has reported a 60% jump in its top selling XUV700 and Scorpio N sales, while demand for Hyundai’s Creta and Venue are also seen to be strong.In the consumer electronics space, companies and top retailers are reporting significant rise in sales.