Apple Appeals Indian Government To Relax Label Laws, Seeks Tax Incentives

Global tech giant Apple has reportedly appealed to the Indian Government to relax labelling rules so that it doesn’t have to print product-related information directly onto devices. The move on Apple’s part is to prevent cluttering up their minimalist design, as per a report by ET.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) forwarded the iPhone production company’s request to the Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY) in November 2016 for consideration, as per an official close to the development.

According to an Apple official, the company’s distinctive design language is integral to product appeal, and it strives to keep its surfaces as free of artefacts as possible. The company wants to provide product details that are required by law in India as part of the software of the device or on the packaging. The labelling issue will be dealt with by the DeITY, the official added.

Additionally, Apple has also sought tax incentives that are currently being examined by the Ministry of Finance. The government currently provides subsidies for investments in special economic zones in order to appeal to investors.

The Ministry of Finance had rejected an earlier proposal by Apple to set up wholly-owned outlets in the country that sought exemption from the compulsory 30% local sourcing norm. The company had sought the exemption on the grounds that it was bringing “state-of-the-art” and “cutting-edge technology,” making it difficult to meet the sourcing condition.

Earlier this year, in May 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a new iOS app design and development accelerator in Bengaluru. The initiative will support engineering talent and accelerate growth in India’s iOS developer community. The iOS App Design and Development Accelerator is expected to open in early 2017. In September 2016, Apple acquired machine learning startup Tuplejump.