Friday, 29 March 2024
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Boris Johnson nudges India with ‘zero tariff’ comment on imported bicycles

Addressing an audience in Delhi, foreign secretary Boris Johnson has suggested that the UK could consider lowering or dropping tariffs on items like bicycles.

Speaking in the Indian capital, Johnson started by calling on India to reconsider its tariffs on things such as Whisky, for which there is currently a 150% charge on exports from the UK.

The Guardian reports that Johnson that proceeded to suggest means by which Britain could scratch the back of Indian manufacturers, stating:

“And, symmetrically, we could have zero tariffs on wonderful Indian products like those electric cars or buses or perhaps even bicycles that we´re now seeing on the streets of London.”

“Such a deal could not be negotiated until Britain formally left the EU, but could at least be sketch[ed] out in pencil on the back of an envelope”.

India is the home of Hero Cycles, among others, which is soon to open an R&D centre in Manchester. The manufacturer is thinking big in terms of global business too, promising a further string of acquisitions, as well as targeting a 5% global market share.

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The tariff rules currently applied to India sit at 10%, though incur additional charges as detailed here.