As it looks to expand its iPhone manufacturing in the country, Apple has asked India to defer a planned increase in import taxes on mobile phone parts, but the government is unlikely to accede.
The Cupertino, California-based company has been in talks with Indian officials for months, seeking “pre-requisites” — government tax breaks and incentives — for expanding its operations in India. The tech giant wants the company to defer an existing policy that plans to levy taxes on more imported mobile components in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” drive to boost domestic manufacturing. However, India it has told Apple there’ll be no policy exemptions and be no tax breaks on parts imports, reports Reuters.
The tech giant also wants the government of India to relax labelling rules so that it doesn’t have to print product-related information directly onto devices to avoid cluttering up their minimalist design, according to The Economic Times. That’s one of the concessions Apple has sought after expressing its intention to start manufacturing in India.
