Amid short supply of gold in domestic market during the festival season, the Government today hiked the import tariff value of gold to $442 per ten gram in line with global prices of the precious metal.
The tariff value, the base price at which the Customs duty is determined to prevent under-invoicing, stood at $418 per 10 gram during the last fortnight.
The notification in this regard has been issued by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), an official statement said.
However, the import tariff value of silver has been kept unchanged at $699 per kg. Similarly, the tariff value of other imported items such as brass scrap, poppy seeds, arecanut and some edible oils has also been kept unchanged.
The tariff value on imported gold has been revised upward taking into account the price volatility of the precious metal in the global market.
In Singapore, gold prices rose to $1345.40 per ounce at 12 noon, while silver stood at $22.62 per ounce.
In the domestic market, gold is being sold at a high premium due to supply crunch caused by the Government measures to restrict imports in an effort to cut current account deficit.
Gold imports
India, the world’s largest consumer of gold, imported 393.68 tonnes of the yellow metal during April-September, as per official data.
The Government has taken several steps to reduce gold imports, including hike in Customs duty.