Cas Push For Local Industry

Duty holiday on set-top boxes may not be extended

The information technology department will ask the finance ministry not to extend beyond July 31 the duty holiday announced on set-top box imports.

The government had earlier this month cut the effective duty on set-top boxes from 50.8 per cent to 5 per cent to ensure their easy availability in the country prior to the implementation of the conditional access system (CAS) from July 15.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the information technology department, the information and broadcasting ministry and local set-top box manufacturers. It was chaired by Infotech Secretary R R Shah.

The move is expected to help the domestic hardware and electronics industry benefit from the business opportunity offered by the CAS rollout and promote the manufacture of set-top boxes locally.

At the meeting, it was decided that a comprehensive national policy on set-top boxes would be prepared, sources said. The participants at the meeting felt such a policy should be worked out alongside the Cable Television Amendment Act to ensure the smooth rollout of CAS, they added.