The central government has increased the import duty on the telephone, smartwatch, and other items of communication on Thursday. The Ministry of Finance has increased the import duty on base station and digital line system and some selected communication equipment from 10 percent to 20 percent. The increased import duty will come into effect from Friday.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes and Custom (CBIC) said in the notification that the Central government has decided to increase the custom duty on the products under Section 85 of the Custom Tariff Act. The electrical machinery and equipment, sound recorder, television image converter, and other parts come under this. The Ministry of Finance has imposed 10 percent custom duty on smartwatch, transport equipment, transport network equipment, soft switch, and voice over internet.
The government was considering a proposal to increase the import duty on several products to improve the condition of weakening rupee and current deficit against the dollar. This is the second time in less than a month when the government has increased the import duty. The import duty was imposed earlier on September 26 on 19 items, including domestic refrigerators and air conditioners.