Exempt set-top boxes from 5% customs duty: Assocham

NEW DELHI: Industry body Assocham has urged Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to withdraw the 5 per cent customs duty on set-top boxes (STBs) in the forthcoming Budget to encourage digitisation in the broadcasting sector. “This is aimed at providing support to the direct-to-home (DTH) industry and advance objectives of digitisation,” the chamber said in a pre-Budget memorandum. Assocham said customs duty on STBs was exempted in 2006 to provide impetus to industries involved in digitisation of TV services like DTH, IPTV and digital cable. But this was reimposed in the last Budget, it »»»