India may revisit Scotch whisky tariff cuts if UK steel curbs, official says
India could revisit tariff concessions offered to Britain on products such as Scotch whisky if London fails to address New Delhi's concerns over its steel safeguard measures, an Indian official said on Monday ahead of fresh bilateral trade talks.
The India-UK free trade deal, signed in May last year and expected to take effect this year, has run into hurdles after Britain proposed stricter safeguards on steel imports to protect its domestic industry, News.az reports, citing Reuters.
"So now the ball is in their (UK) court," an Indian trade official told reporters on Monday. "If they do not leverage their free trade agreement, we can always reconsider the concessions we offered."
Britain's Trade Secretary Peter Kyle is due in India for talks with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday.
Under the trade pact, India agreed to cut tariffs on Scotch whisky from 150% to 75% initially and further to 40% over 10 years.
The deal envisages tariff reductions by both sides on a range of goods, from textiles to whisky and cars, while expanding market access for businesses in the world's fifth- and sixth-largest economies.
By Faig Mahmudov
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