Other Briefings
India to Raise Import Taxes on Luxury Items
India will increase import duties on a number of luxury items, including automobiles, televisions, high-end mobile phones, tablets, laptops and exotic foods. The increases are targeted at imported consumer goods that add no manufacturing or FDI value to the country.
New Issue of Asia Briefing: An Introduction to Tax Treaties Throughout Asia
In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we look at the various types of trade and tax treaties that exist between Asian nations. These include bilateral investment treaties and also the meatier double tax treaties and free trade agreements that directly affect businesses operating in Asia.
India Launches Right-to-Food Program Among Other Subsidies
Jul. 9 – Last week, the Indian government approved an ambitious 1.2 trillion rupee (US$22 billion) food security program to guarantee cheap food grains for nearly 800 million citizens. The program, which is called the “Right-to-Food” program, will entitle nearly 70 percent of India’s 1.2 billion population to obtain five kilograms of wheat or rice […]
U.S. and India Clash over IP in the Pharmaceutical Industry
By Nathan Barlow Jul. 4 – The Indian Supreme Court’s rejection of U.S.-based Novartis AG’s patent request for a new cancer drug has caused uproar in the American pharmaceutical community, with the ruling coming at a time when many other foreign pharmaceutical companies are experiencing patent challenges in India. In sum, Indian patent laws do […]
India’s Bilateral Investment Treaties
Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis Jul. 2 – Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are an oft-ignored part of bilateral trade, commerce and investment between two countries, and have often been superseded by other, more detailed trade agreements such as double taxation agreements (DTAs). Nonetheless, for many countries, BIT agreements remain the only basis on which to mutually […]
Indian Gov’t Meets with Global Retailers to Review FDI Policy
Jun. 28 – Representatives from the Indian government met with foreign and domestic retailers this week to reevaluate its foreign direct investment policy. India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma liaised with leaders from companies such as Walmart, Tesco, Carrefour, Bharti, Aditya Birla Group, Tatas, Reliance and Pantaloon. Sharma stated that the purpose of the […]
India to Limit Media Monopolies
Jun. 19 – The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is set to recommend that an “institutional buffer between corporate owners and newspaper management” be created to better guide the country’s media industry and to prevent monopolies by way of cross-media ownership restrictions. The recommendation is based on the principle that corporate ownership of media […]
India Raises Import Duty on Gold and Platinum
In an attempt to slow the country’s consumption of imported metals, India’s Ministry of Finance raised the import duty on gold and platinum this week from 6 to 8 percent.
