Govt to ban duty-free import of flat panel TV

The government on Monday decided to ban duty-free import of flat-screen television sets from August 26. Under the new norms, air passengers will have to pay 35 per cent of the cost of the product as duty and other charges.

According to government estimates, more than a million television sets were imported as air baggage last year, mainly from Dubai, Thailand and Singapore. The government used to allow travellers to bring in screens of up to Rs 35,000 as part of their baggage allowance.

A Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association spokesperson said the government had lost Rs 750 crore the previous year due to duty-free imports and the capacity utilisation of the Indian makers was 70 per cent.