MUMBAI: Sony Computer Entertainment has asked the Centre to slash the "high" import duty on consoles from 35 per cent to 15 per
cent.
The high import duty is hindering the growth of gaming industry in India, which is a sunrise sector, Sony Computer Entertainment Country Manager Atindriya Bose said. Sony imports its console called Playstation from Europe.
A console is a physical device, which can be attached to a television to play games and watch movies.
"We are not asking the government to abolish import duty. We want it to be bought down to 15 per cent," he told PTI.
Slashing the import duty would bring down the cost of consoles and open up the Indian market, he said.
The Indian console market is dominated by foreign companies such as Sony and Microsoft. There are no local players. Microsoft sells the console, Xbox.
As there are no local players, Sony wants the abolition of countervailing duty, which is at 14.42 per cent, on consoles.
"With no local manufacturer for console in the Indian market, the countervailing duty is supporting the gray market," Bose said.
About 2 lakh consoles are estimated to be sold in this financial year. "We will sell about 70 per cent of the 2 lakh consoles," he said.
At present, Sony's playstations are sold in top 20 cities in the country. "We will look at expanding it beyond these cities," he said.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
