SWA urges India to cut 150% tariff on Scotch whiskey
The Scotch Whiskey Association (SWA), the trade Association for the Scotch Whisky industry, has urged India to cut 150% tax on imported spirits (including Scotch whiskey). A delegation from SWA is currently in India to highlight the issue.
SWA chief executive Gavin Hewitt said India is a top priority for the association. The SWA will be discussing progress on the Free Trade Agreement that is being negotiated with the European Union.
The Free Trade Agreement, if introduced, would reduce the tariff with the aim of bringing it into line with other markets, such as China where the tax is 10% or Brazil where it is 20%.
India currently sells 250 million cases of spirits each year, of which 140 million cases are whiskey and only 1.5 million cases are Scotch whiskey.
According to the SWA, progress has been made since 2000 when the tariff was 750% but still there is a great amount of untapped potential.
Hewitt said there is a significant demand for Scotch Whiskey, particularly from the aspirational middle class, but there are major barriers to trade to overcome.
"The key issue is the 150% tariff levied by the Indian Government which means a GBP10 bottle of Scotch whiskey becomes GBP25 before it even enters the distribution chain," Hewitt added.
The SWA will also attend an event to celebrate Scotch whiskey receiving the status of a product of 'geographical indication'.
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