Industry & Economy
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Economic Offences
Plea to check duty evasion by EOUs in rough marble imports
Our Bureau
Mumbai
,
Jan. 12
THE marble processing and trading industry has urged the Commerce Ministry to probe into the `misuse' by export-oriented units (EOUs) in importing restricted items.
The Silvassa Marble Manufacturers' Association, in a letter to the Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, has said that the Rs 500-crore marble processors/traders located in and around Mumbai, Silvassa (Gujarat) and Chennai are facing serious problems as EOUs are importing restricted items at zero per cent customs duty as against the levy of 20 per cent customs duty and 70 per cent fine to be paid by the industry.
As per the existing Exim policy, the imports of rough marble blocks are under the list of `restricted items'. EOUs are allegedly selling imported rough marble blocks in Domestic Tariff Area by declaring such goods as finished slabs or polished tiles.
The Centre has fixed a floor price of $300 per tonne. However, the processing units can import it but the quota is fixed on the past performance of such units. Rough marble blocks are imported by such EOUs at rates below $100 per tonne. Around 80 units located in and around Rajasthan and Maharashtra have started importing in the last few months and have already imported around 10,000 tonnes of rough blocks from European countries including Italy and Turkey.
Explaining the system of duty evasion, the spokesperson of Rajasthan Marble Manufacturers' Association said that rough marble blocks are imported by such EOUs at rates below $160 per tonne against the fixed floor price of $300 per tonne.
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