Government proposes new custom duties on solar imports

The government has proposed a basic customs duty to be imposed on solar imports as soon as the current safeguard duty expires on July 31. This 20-25 per cent basic customs duty has been proposed to curb the import of solar panels, according to a recent announcement by R.K. Singh, union minster for power and new and renewable energy. It is proposed that since the domestic manufacturing capacity of solar cells is lower than that of modules, the duty for the former will be 15 per cent. The duty on panels is proposed to be progressively increased to 40 per cent.