Tesla’s India plans dealt blow as tax cut ruled out

Little inroad: A Tesla vehicle at a charging station in California. Tesla has been urging India to allow it to import cars more cheaply before it commits to setting up a factory in the country but to no avail. ― Bloomberg

MUMBAI: India said it has no plans to cut import duties on electric vehicles (EVs), weeks after Tesla Inc appealed to the government to slash taxes, and its billionaire chief Elon Musk floated the possibility of a local factory once it starts selling wholly-built units from overseas in the world’s second-most populous nation.

“No such proposal is under consideration in Heavy Industries Ministry,” junior minister Krishan Pal Gurjar told parliament on Monday, referring to the ministry in charge of making policies for the auto industry.