As policymakers finalise Budget 2026, the creator economy stands at a crossroads between rapid growth and structural fragility, seeking formal recognition within India’s policy framework and clearer taxation to support sustainable growth.
Industry voices argue that clearer tax norms, simplified compliance, and structured welfare frameworks could help convert digital influence into sustainable livelihoods, while strengthening trust and transparency in creator-led commerce.
Read the creator economy sector of the budget 2026 in detail:
Gautam Madhavan, CEO and Founder of Xley by Mad Influence
For the upcoming Union Budget 2026, we expect the Government to formally recognise and support the creator economy as a strategic growth sector, through clarified GST treatment for digital content services, tax incentives for content-to-commerce monetisation models, and social security frameworks for gig creators that bring stability to this dynamic workforce.
India’s creator economy is now a major force shaping digital consumption and market behaviour. The country is home to an estimated 2 to 2.5 million active digital creators who currently influence more than $350 billion in annual consumer spending, and this figure is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030. Direct ecosystem revenues are expected to grow from $20–25 billion today to $100–125 billion by the end of the decade, underlining the massive economic opportunity ahead.
Yet, only about 8–10 % of creators today monetise effectively, highlighting a huge opportunity for policy action to unlock broader participation and sustainable livelihoods. With creator-led commerce and community-driven content influencing up to 30 % of purchase decisions, its role in India’s digital economy is now structurally significant.
Budget 2026 can catalyse this ecosystem by supporting monetisation tools, easing compliance, and integrating creators into formal social security frameworks, enabling millions of creators to turn influence into sustainable economic participation.
Vaibhav Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, KlugKlug
As we approach Union Budget 2026, we expect targeted policy support that enables the creator economy to mature into a structured, scalable digital industry. Clear taxation norms, incentives for creator-tech platforms, and easier compliance for creator-led enterprises can accelerate sustainable monetisation and formalisation of the ecosystem.
The opportunity is already massive. India has over 2 million active creators today, influencing more than $350 billion in consumer spending annually, with this figure expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030. Additionally, direct revenues generated by the creator ecosystem are projected to expand from $20–25 billion currently to nearly $125 billion by the end of the decade.
Despite this scale, monetisation remains concentrated, with only a small fraction of creators generating a stable income. Budget 2026 can catalyse the next phase of growth by enabling policy frameworks that support creator monetisation, strengthen trust in influencer marketing, and position India as a global hub for creator-led digital commerce.
Zaheer Travadi, Head of Brand Partnerships, TikTok Indonesia
With the digital economy on track to contribute 20% of India’s national income by 2030, we see a timely opportunity for Budget 2026 to help the sector evolve from ‘recognition’ to ‘formalization’. Inspiration can be drawn from global success stories: Indonesia’s model of treating creative IP as collateral for financing, and France’s ‘Influencer Law’, which mandates transparency. We propose a similar ‘Digital Professional’ framework for India—a registry that could help unlock credit for creators while ensuring consumer safety through verified credentials, akin to the China model.
Simultaneously, as 85% of Indian businesses engage with AI in some use cases already, we encourage the government to consider incentives for R&D in Generative AI and ensure content safety.
Finally, we see immense potential in our 35-million-strong diaspora, who contributed a record $136 billion in FY25. We recommend the government treat content creation as a priority export service. By offering tax exemptions on foreign earnings or export incentives similar to the IT sector, we can empower Indian creators to serve global brands. This would mobilize our diaspora as digital ambassadors, driving global demand to ensure ‘Made in India’ becomes a household name worldwide.
