Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the 'Make in India' initiative in September 2014. Since then, many global companies have invested and set up manufacturing and assembly facilities in India. However, nothing has captured attention like the news that Apple might manufacture its iPhones in India.There have been talks all the way up to the top. Apple CEO Tim Cook met Modi in May 2016. Since then, officials from Apple and its key suppliers have probably met government officials at all levels - in the ministry of finance and commerce for instance.
There was news that Apple may indeed start manufacturing the iPhone in the first half of this year from a supplier facility near Bengaluru. However, the supplier has kept mum for the most part and termed the news speculative.
Apple seems to have a list of demands. These are mainly in the areas of relaxed sourcing norms and tax concessions. It is also seeking predictability in tax rates and other duties. This is so it doesn't have to face nasty surprises after it has put in billions of dollars in investment. It doesn't want to be hit with sudden higher tax bills, just because a politician changed or an IT officer interpreted things differently .
While one is not sure if it is true, some news reports also suggest Apple might want one-off, special, Applespecific concessions, so it makes financial sense for Apple to move its manufacturing here from say China.
All this will take its own time, as the case churns through our government and bureaucratic machinery . One can also imagine the political resistance to giving concessions to Apple.
There was news that Apple may indeed start manufacturing the iPhone in the first half of this year from a supplier facility near Bengaluru. However, the supplier has kept mum for the most part and termed the news speculative.
Apple seems to have a list of demands. These are mainly in the areas of relaxed sourcing norms and tax concessions. It is also seeking predictability in tax rates and other duties. This is so it doesn't have to face nasty surprises after it has put in billions of dollars in investment. It doesn't want to be hit with sudden higher tax bills, just because a politician changed or an IT officer interpreted things differently .
While one is not sure if it is true, some news reports also suggest Apple might want one-off, special, Applespecific concessions, so it makes financial sense for Apple to move its manufacturing here from say China.
All this will take its own time, as the case churns through our government and bureaucratic machinery . One can also imagine the political resistance to giving concessions to Apple.
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