Govt not in favour of special concessions to Apple to set up India plant

According to news agency PTI, the Commerce and Industry ministry is not in favour of extending concessions to US-based iPhone maker Apple for setting up manufacturing unit in India as no other firm has asked for any incentive, Government sources said on Tuesday.
In a communication to the Government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for several tax and other incentives to enter India in the manufacturing sector.
“They are asking for concessions which others are not asking for. Why should they be given (those concessions),” sources were quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
They said that India is the best place to set up manufacturing units. As many as 42 companies are making mobile phones in India, including Chinese firm Huawei and Xiaomi.
A group of senior officials from ministries, including commerce and finance, would this month deliberate on the incentives sought by Apple to set up a manufacturing unit.
The Government already provides benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing in the country.
The scheme provides financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment. It also gives a subsidy for investments in Special Economic Zones, among other benefits.
Currently, Apple’s products are manufactured in six countries, including Korea, Japan and the US.
Earlier, in May 2016, the Finance Ministry had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms, as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker, as a pre-condition for bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country.
The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes modern and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible.
The Government had also turned down the firm’s proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India.
The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries such as China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others. It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.