Govt plans to ban e-comm ‘gifts’

In order to prevent the misuse by Chinese ecommerce vendors of e-comm ‘gifts’, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBITC) is thinking of amending its rules to completely remove the provision under which citizens can receive duty-free ‘gifts and samples’ valued at under INR 5,000 from overseas. “There were multiple legal options we were looking at, one being limiting the number (of gifts) to four per individual. But to implement this practically would be difficult, so we’re looking at a policy that prohibits the clearance of gifts altogether,” stated a senior government official.
The board has been entrusted with the responsibility of formulating policy concerning levy and collection of customs. It is currently working with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade by furnishing inputs for the latter’s comprehensive e-commerce policy.