Maran for rationalising taxes on PCs

New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran today said he would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for rationalising taxes for personal computers that would help boost its manufacturing in the country.

Mr Maran's comments came less than 48 hours after Mr Michael Dell of Dell Computers said high taxes in India were impeding the usage and manufacturing of PCs in the country.

The world's second largest PC maker said about 25 per cent of the cost of a PC goes as taxes in India and if these were brought down the market could accelerate.

This growth would also attract large high technology companies to set up base in India.

Dell Computers procures 19 billion dollar worth of components from China and Taiwan while nothing from India as there was no manufacturing base for high technology items.

The reduction on taxes of mobile phones had led to a high growth in the telecom sector and attracted some of the biggest multinationals like Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola to set up manufacturing units in the country, Mr Maran said.

UNI