EPCG Scheme in FTP 2002

Ř  Specifies basic customs duty of five percent with full exemption of additional and special additional duty

Ř  Licence issued by DGFT will be debited by the customs

Ř  Bond, surety and security to available export obligation at five times of the import value to be executed with customs.

Ř  Specifies proportion of export obligation to be fulfilled in four blocks covering eight years and twelve years.

Ř  Export obligation fulfillment will be checked by the customs and unfulfilled obligation will be attracted interest at 24 percent on the proportionate duty saved amount.

Ř  Certificate of installment from Excise Commissioner or Chartered Engineer required within six months of imports.

Ř  Other conditions relates exceptions for supporting manufacturers, agricultural products, service exporters, extension of export obligation, defective goods, export obligation fulfillment to third party and deemed exports.

Ntfn 44         In exercise of the powers conferred
19.04.2002   by sub-section (1) of section
                     25 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the Central Government, being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts goods specified in the Table annexed hereto from so much of the duty of customs leviable thereon which is specified in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975) as is in excess of the amount calculated at the rate of five percent ad valoram and from the whole of the additional duty and special additional duty leviable thereon respectively under section 3 and 3A of the said Customs Tariff Act.

2. The exemption contained in above paragraph, shall be subject to the following conditions, namely:-

(1) the goods imported are covered by a valid licence issued under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme in terms of Chapter 5 of the Export and Import Policy permitting import of goods at the rate of five percent duty and the said licence is produced for debit by the proper officer of the customs at the time of clearance;

Provided that for the import of spare parts, the validity period of the licence shall be deemed to be the period permitted for fulfillment of the export obligation in full;

(2) the importer executes a bond in such form and for such sum and with such surety or security as may be specified by the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs binding himself to fulfil export obligation equivalent to five times the CIF value of the goods imported on FOB basis, as specified in the licence, or for such higher sum as may be fixed by the Licensing Authority, within a period of eight years from the date of issue of licence, in the following proportions, namely:-

SNo.

Period from the date of total issue of licence

Proportion of export obligation

(1)

(2)

(3)

1.

Block of 1st and 2nd year

Nil

2.

Block of 3rd and 4th year

15%

3.

Block of 5th and 6th year

35%

4.

Block of 7th and 8th year

50%

Provided that where the CIF value of licence is not less than Rs. 100 crores or where the licence is issued to Unit in the agri export zones as may be notified by the Director General of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry the export obligation shall be fulfilled within a period of 12 years from the date of issue of licence in the following proportions, namely-[Substituted by 116/28.10.2002]

SNo.

Period from the date of issue of licence

Proportion of total export obligation

(1)

(2)

(3)

1.

Block of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year

Nil

2.

Block of 6th, 7th and 8th year

15%

3.

Block of 9th and 10th year

35%

4.

Block of 11th and 12th year

50%

Provided further that where a sick unit notified by the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) is subsequently taken over by anther unit for revival, the export obligation may be fulfilled within a period of 12 years from the date of issued of license:

Provided also that the export obligation of particular block may be set off against the excess exports made in the said preceding block(s); [Substituted by 116/28.10.2002]

(3) the importer produced within 30 days from the expiry of each block from the date of issue of licence or within such extended period as the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may allow, evidence to the satisfaction of the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs showing the extent of export obligation fulfilled, and where the export obligation of any particular block is not fulfilled in terms of the preceding condition, the importer shall within three months from the expiry of the said block pay duties of customs of an equal amount equal to that portion of duties leviable on the goods but for the exemption contained herein which bears the same proportion as the unfulfilled portion of the export obligation bears to the total export obligation together with interest at the rate of 15% per annum from the date of clearance of the goods;

[Substituted by 113/16.10.2002]

(4) the capital goods imported, assembled or manufactured are installed in the importer’s factory or premises and a certificate from the jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise or Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise or an independent Chartered Engineer, as the case may be, is produced confirming installation and use of capital goods in the importer’s factory or premises, within six months from the date of completion of imports or within such extended period as the said Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may allow:

Provided that in the case of, -

(i)    manufacturer exporter and merchant exporter having supporting manufacturer(s) or vendor(s),

(ii)   import of irrigation equipment for use in contract farming for export of agricultural products, and

(iii)  importer rendering services,

the capital goods may be installed at the factory or premises of such other person whose name and address are endorsed on the licence referred to in condition (i) and where the bond for full difference of duty, if necessary, in terms of condition (2), with a bank guarantee is executed by the importer and such other person binding themselves jointly and severally to fulfil the export obligation and all other conditions of this notification and to pay duty with interest in case of default;

(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in condition (3), where the Licensing Authority grants an extension of block-wise period for any block(s) or overall period of fulfillment of export obligation upto a period of two years or regularization of shortfall in export obligation, not exceeding five percent of such export obligation, the said block-wise period or overall period of export obligation may be extended and the said shortfall in export obligation be condoned by the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs:

Provided that in respect of license having overall export obligation period of 12 years extension of overall period of export obligation shall not be allowed; [Substituted by 116/28.10. 2002]

3. Where the goods are found defective or unfit for use, the said goods may be re-exported back to the foreign supplier within 3 years from the date of payment of duty on the importation thereof:

Provided that at the time of re-export the goods are identified to the satisfaction of the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs as the goods which were imported.

4. where the total exports of a sector or product group during the year 2007-08 has declined by more than 5% as compared to the year 2006-07, the average export obligation of the licencee for 2007-08 may be reduced proportionate to the reduction in exports of that particular sector or product group during 2007-08 as against 2006-07. [Inserted by 65/09.05.2008]

Table

SNo.

Description of goods

(1)

(2)

1.

Capital goods.

2.

Capital goods in SKD/CKD condition to be assembled into capital goods by the importer.

3.

Components of capital goods required for assembly or manufacture of capital goods by the importer.

4.

Spare parts not exceeding twenty percent of the value of goods specified at serial Nos. 1, 2 and 3 as actually imported and required for maintenance of capital goods so imported, assembled, or manufactured.

Explanation – In this notification, -

(1) “Capital Goods” means any plant, machinery, equipment and accessories required for –

(a) manufacture or production of other goods, including packaging machinery and equipments, refractories, refrigeration equipment, power generating sets, machine tools, catalysts for initial charge, and equipment and instruments for testing, research and development, quality and pollution control;

(b) use in manufacturing, mining, agriculture, marine, aquaculture, animal husbandry, floriculture, horticulture, pisciculture, poultry, viticulture and sericulture;

(c) rendering services;

(2) “Export and Import Policy” means the Export and Import Policy 2002-2007 published vide notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Commerce, No. 1/2002-2007, dated the 31st March, 2002;

(3) “Licensing Authority” means the Director General, Foreign Trade appointed under section 6 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992) or an officer authorized by him to grant a licence under the said Act.

(4) “export obligation”, -

(i) in relation to importers other than those rendering services, means export, to a place outside India, of products manufactured with the use of capital goods imported, assembled or manufactured in terms of this notification:

Provided that export obligation may also be fulfilled by

(a)   export of same product capable of being manufactured with the use of said capital goods; or

(b)   export of same product manufactured in different units of the licence holder; or

(c)   through third party exports made by an exporter or manufacturer on behalf of the licence holder by exporting the same product and in such cases, inter-alia the Shipping bills shall indicate name of both the third party and the licence holder; or

(d)   making supplies of same product in terms of sub paras (a) (b) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) and (j) of paragraph 8.2 of the Export and Import Policy;

(ii)   in relation to importers rendering services, means, receiving payments in freely convertible foreign currency for services rendered through the use of such capital goods;

(iii)  means, export of goods in terms of the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department of commerce) No 28 (RE-2003)/2002-2007 dated 28th January 2004. [Sub-clause 4(iii) inserted by 29/28.01.2004]

(iv) shall be, over and above, the average level of exports achieved by the licencee in the preceding three licencing years for same and similar products [Inserted by 65/09.05.2008]