The Indian government has lifted the massive taxes it imposed on imported wines and spirits, bowing to heavy pressure from the US and Europe.
India will relent on the additional duties it charged on wine and spirits -- up to 540 percent in some cases -- that Washington and Brussels are challenging at the WTO, Indian Finance Ministry spokesman B.S. Chauhan said.
But India will keep in place its basic import duties on wine and spirits, which range from 20 percent to 150 percent. The basic duty on wines will increase to 150 percent from 100 percent, a government statement issued on Tuesday night read.
The EU, which is challenging India's import duties on wine and liquor at the WTO, welcomed Delhi's intention to repeal the various government surcharges that make Indian tariff levels on products ranging from Finnish vodka to French cognac among the highest in the world.
But EU officials said they regretted that India appeared set to raise its normal duty on wine to 150 percent from 100 percent, even if the new rate was still within its WTO limits. They said it was too early to speak about whether Brussels would suspend its WTO case.
The US, which also filed a WTO case against the government surcharges, remains "hopeful that India will meet its WTO obligations in this area," said Stephen Norton, a spokesman for the office of the US Trade Representative in Washington. He declined to comment further.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the US said the change would benefit liquor exporters, but hurt wine exporters.
"While it is good news, it's not great news," spokesman Frank Coleman said, adding that a major question remaining was when India would implement the changes. "I don't think anybody is cracking their special bottle of single barrel bourbon just yet."
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source