The Government today slashed the import tariff value on gold and silver to $408 per 10 grams and $617 per kg respectively, in view of weakness in bullion prices globally.
In the second fortnight of May, the tariff value on imported gold stood at $424 per 10 grams and silver at $650 per kg.
The import tariff value — base price at which Customs duty is determined to prevent under-invoicing — is revised on a fortnightly basis taking into account the volatility in global prices.
The reduction in tariff value on imported gold and silver has been notified by the Central Board of Excise and Customs, an official statement said.
In the last few sessions, global gold prices have been ruling on a lower side as positive US economic data backed the case for the Federal Reserve to keep on reducing the monetary stimulus which has dimmed the metal’s appeal.
In Singapore, both gold and silver were trading down at $1,246.9 per ounce and $18.70 per ounce respectively, today. Taking global cues, domestic gold rates in the national capital touched a 11-month low of Rs 27,400 per 10 grams.
Due to curbs imposed by the government, the country’s total gold and silver imports dropped 40 per cent to $33.46 billion in 2013-14 against $55.79 billion in the previous year.
Gold is the second largest import item for India after petroleum. The government had taken several measures to curb gold shipments to address the high current account deficit.
These measures include raising the import duty to 10 per cent on the metal and also made it mandatory for traders to export 20 per cent of the imported gold.