PC makers seek differential duty on IT hardware

In order to encourage domestic manufacturing of personal computers, industry body MAIT has sought extension of mobile phones like differential duty structure on IT hardwares. "We have requested government to extend differential duty structure for IT hardwares specifically laptops, desktops, wired and wireless customer premises equipment (CPE)and e-Readers are at par with smartphones and tablets," MAIT Executive Director Anwar Shirpurwala told PTI. Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT) represents leading IT hardware companies like Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, Cisco, HCL Infosystems and Intel etc.

The government in budget 2015-16 had exempted mobile phone and tablet PC manufactures in India from payment of customs duty and excise duty on procurement of all goods required for manufacturing, MAIT said in it submission. To boost local manufacturing of mobile phones and tablets, the government in Budget increased duty benefits for domestic producers of these electronic items. Excise duty structure for mobiles handsets was changed to 1 percent without CENVAT credit or 12.5 percent with CENVAT credit which gave domestic manufacturers a benefit of about 11 percent over imported phones.

The current fiscal year saw investments from manufacturing giant Foxconn in the country while many other mobile phone companies like Gionee, Xiaomi, Lava, Karbonn, HTC, Datawind, started production of their handsets locally. The industry body said government has removed special additional duty -- a tax imposed to provide cushion from products purchased at zero duty, from components used for manufacturing computers which compelled domestic manufactures to use imported motherboards as they were cheaper. To encourage local production of computers, MAIT has requested government to exempt all the inputs, except populated Printed Circuit Boards, required for use in the manufacture of ITA bound goods from SAD.

India is signatory to Information Technology Agreement (ITA) 1 as a member of World Trade Organisation. Under ITA 1 agreement, member countries should allow duty free import of products falling under eight categories covering telecom, computers and semiconductors like mobile phones and electronic chips. MAIT said components used for manufacturing of PCBs or motherboards should have been exempted from SAD.

The industry body has sought exemption of Excise holiday for a further period of 10 years in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh all units already in operation there, including those units for which the exemption may have expired in 2013. "Likewise, any new units commencing production on or before March 31, 2016 may also be bestowed with central excise exemption for a period of 15 years. This will give the manufacturing sector the required boost to compete with traders," Shirpurwala said.