Budget 2015: Auto sector demands tax sops

With the arrival of new stable government, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is all set to present the Union Budget 2015-16. Since it is the Modi government’s first full-term budget and they already have promised a transformational budget, expectations are high on decisions to be taken for any sector of the country and automotive sector is no different. Here is AutoPortal’s take on the automobile industry and the budget impact on it.

With the increasing growth in demand on back of rising income, expanding middle class and young population base, in addition to a large pool of skilled manpower and growing technology, will propel India to be among the world's top five auto-producers by 2015.

A report published by Delloite says, “India is expected to become a major automobile manufacturing hub and the third largest market for automobiles by 2020”. The automotive industry in India accounts for around 22% of the country's manufacturing gross domestic product (GDP) and is one of the largest employment creators of the economy.

However, sales of passenger vehicles in the domestic market grew just 3.67% in the April-December period (mainly after the excise cuts) this fiscal in comparison with the same period a year ago and the industry went through slowdown for most of last year.

The situation got worsen in January 2015, after the withdrawal of excise duty concessions, car sales in India witnessed major decline with main players Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai posting single digit growth in January, while others like GM India and Ford saw decline in sales.
AutoPortal’s outlook on the upcoming budget over automobile industry is:

· Reduction in excise duty: In February 2014 interim budget, excise duty on small cars, scooters, motorcycles and commercial vehicles was reduced to 8% from 12% previously. For SUVs, it was cut to 24% from 30%; for mid-sized cars, to 20% from 24%, and to 24% for large cars from 27% earlier, in the hope of boosting the sector. In June2014, the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the excise duty concessions till December 2014. As a result, auto manufacturers were forced to increase prices. The auto industry SIAM, further wants to extend the relaxation in duties as this would keep the cost of ownership down for the ultimate owners and increase the interest for new buys. Further, long-term stability in excise duty structure is needed across the country, so that manufacturers can plan their products strategy for the next 3-5 years.

· Inverted duty structure: The government is expected to address the inverted duty structure in the forthcoming Budget. Under the inverted duty structure, taxation of inputs is at higher rates than finished products that results in build-up of credits and cascading costs, thus favouring imports of raw material. Under the government’s “Make in India” approach, it is suggested to remove inverted duty structure to protect the interests of domestic industry.

· Implementation of GST: Implementation and speedy action on GST will bring in growth to the economy and create a uniform tax structure across all states. Also this will persuade more exports through increased competitiveness in the international market. The auto industry is keenly looking forward to the roadmap and introduction of GST.

· Scrappage Subsidy Schemes: Introduction of Scrappage Subsidy Schemes on lines of European counterparts, which will clean old cars off the road. Budget should include Policy for scrapping old cars- 15 years and above, along with the infrastructure needed to scrap. This will benefit the environment, reduce fuel consumption and also propel further demands for automotives.

· Green initiatives to manufacturing of electric and hybrid cars: With the upcoming budget, Green initiatives from the government to boost sale of electric and hybrid vehicles is expected and also needed as ‘Go Green’ is the motto for all leading economies of the world. The government is expected to announce special tax incentives to promote eco-friendly vehicles and provide more sops for hybrid/ alternative fuel for vehicles, to increase the marketability and usage of these vehicles and to improve environment and economy by bringing down fuel imports. Continuation of the tax incentives from the Budget for 2014-15 like investment allowance and duty cuts for hybrid vehicles/ parts is also expected.

Electric cars are an eco-friendly variant of four-wheelers. But these cars need to be charged regularly which requires a particular infrastructure (charging locations) across the country. The auto sector needs the government to help setup the charging infrastructure across cities.

· Custom duty unchanged for exported cars: Fully imported cars attract a customs duty in excess of 125%. To promote “Make in India” and to provide healthy competitive platform to domestic players, the auto industry hopes that the budget will retain the customs duty at the current rate which ultimately increases the cost of imported cars.

· Lowering of interest rates for financing vehicles: According to a Business World report, “Over 80% of the vehicles purchased in India are purchased with financing from banks and other institutes”. Thus, a reduction in bank interest rate on loans will overall reduce the cost for the consumer, ultimately improving the demand for the automobiles.

Before it is too late and the auto industry is back to the days of poor demand and high taxes, it needs a big push from the upcoming Budget to be back on a growth trajectory. In the wake of the government's 'Make in India' and big expectations from the upcoming budget, Indian auto industry shall witness an unprecedented sales and demand growth.

About the author: This article has been authored by Sagar Das, head-Autoportal.com, ex-India dot com Product Management & business of OnCars.

Image source: Autoportal