140/1991 DATE 22/10/1991

The notification exempts specified goods exported by 100% EOU operating in EHTP and STP.

In exercise of the powers conferred 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 interst so to do, hereby exempts goods specifed in the Table below (hereinafer referred to as the goods) when imported into India or procured from a Public Warehouse or a Private Warehouse appointed or licensed, as the case may be, under section 57 or section 58 of the said Customs Act, for the purpose of development of software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control data management or call centre services for export out of India (hereinafter referred to as the "said activities", by the software development units under the Software Technology Parks, under the Hundred Per cent Export Oriented Scheme, approved by the Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee for Hundred Per cent Export Oriented Units in the Electronics Hardware Tehnology Parks (EHTP) and Software Technology Parks (STP) (hereinafter referred to as the Standing Committee) appointed by the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Industry, Department of Industrial Development No. S.O. 11 (E) dated the 22nd February, 1993 from the whole of the duty of customs leviable thereon under the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975) and the additional duty, if any, leviable thereon udner section 3 of the second mentioned Act, subject to the following conditions namely :-

(1) the importer has been granted necessary licence for the import of goods for the said purposes;

(2) the importer carries out the said activities under customs bond and subject to such other conditions as may be specified by the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Deputy in this behalf;

(3) the importer exports out of India Hundred Per cent or such other Percentage, as may be fixed by the Standing Committee, of software developed, data entry and conversion done, data processed, data analysed and controlled or data management done or call centre services wholly or partly from the goods for the period stipulated by the Standing Committee or such extended period as may be specified by the Standing Committee.

(4) the importer agrees-

(a) to bring the goods into the unit and use them within the unit in connection with the said activities for export, using data communication link or in the form of physical export;

(b) not to move the goods from the unit without the approval of the Assistant Commissioner of Customs;

(c) to export out of India all software developed, data entry and conversion done, data processed, data analysed and controlled data management done or call services rendered in the unit;

(5) the importer shall produce a certificate to the Assistant Commissioner of Customs from the concerned Chief Executive of the Software Technology Park Society set up by the Government of India, Department of Electronics, to the effect that the goods imported are to be installed or used in the unit and that the import of such goods have been authorised by the Standing Committee;

(6) Without prejudice to any other provisions contained in this notification, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, subject to such conditions and limitations as he may deem fit to impose under the circumstances of the case for the proper safeguard of the revenue interest and also subject to such permission of the Standing Committee where it is exclusively required under the Export and Import Policy, as hereinafter referred to in this condition, allow the said unit to clear any of the said goods for being taken to any other place in India in accordance with the Export and Import Policy, 1 April, 1997 - 31 March, 2002 published by the Government of India under Ministry of Commerce, Notification No. 1/1997-2002, dated 31st March 1997, as amended from time to time(hereinafter in this notification referred to as the said Export & Import Policy),-


(a) such clearance of capital goods, material handling equipments, office equipments and captive power plants may be allowed on payment of an amount equal to the customs duty leviable on such goods on the depreciated value thereof and at the rate in force on the date of payment of such duty;

Provided that in the case of capital goods, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, subject to such conditions as he may specify, permit destruction of such capital goods without payment of duty inside the unit, or outside the said unit, where it is not possible or permissible to destroy the same within the said unit, in the presence of custom officer.

(b) such clearance of goods (including containers, suitable for repeated use) other than those specified in clause (a) may be allowed on payment of customs duty on the value at the time of import and at rates in force on the date of payment of such customs duty;

(c) such clearance of used packing materials such as cardboard boxes, polythelene bags of a kind unsuitable for repeated use may be allowed without payment of any customs duty;

Provided that the importer shall not be eligible to avail of the exemption applicable to goods falling under heading 98.01 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975), or the exemption available to the imported goods under any Export Promotion Scheme other than the Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme permitting import of capital goods at the rate of duty of 5% ad valorem in terms of notifications in force at the time of debonding.

EXPLANATION. - The depreciation in respect of goods covered by clause (a) shall be allowed for the period from the date of commencement of commercial production of the unit or where such goods have been imported after such commencement, from the date such goods have come into use for commercial production upto the date of payment of duty.

(7) the importer executes a bond in such form and for such sum and with such authority as may be prescribed by the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs binding himself to fulfil the export obligations and conditions stipulated in this notification, and in or under the said Export and Import Policy, as amended from time to time, and conditions for establishment of Software Technology Parks of India for software export as specified by the Department of Electronics, and to pay on demand an amount equal to the duty leviable on the goods and interest at the rate of twenty per cent per annum on the said duty from the date of importation or procurement of the said goods till the date of payment of such duty, if-

(i) in the case of capital goods, such goods are not proved to the satisfaction of the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs to have been installed or otherwise used within the bonded premises or re-exported within the period of one year from the date of importation or procurement thereof or within such extended period not exceeding five years as the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, on being satisfied that there is sufficient cause for not using them as above within the said period, allow;

(ii) in the case of goods other than capital goods, such goods are not proved to the satisfaction of the Assistant Commissioner of customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs to have been used in connection with the production or packaging of goods for export out of India or re-exported or cleared for home consumption within a period of one year from the date of importation or procurement thereof or within such extended period as the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, on being satisfied that there is sufficient cause for not using them as above; allow;

(iii) in the case of

(a) goods produced or packaged, such goods have not been exported out of India, and-

(b) unused goods (including containers, suitable for repeated use) as have not been exported or cleared for home consumption,within a period of one year from the date of importation or procurement of such goods or within such extended period as the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, on being satisfied that there is sufficient cause for not exporting such goods within the said period, allow:

(iv) in the case of raw materials, components, spares and consumables (other than capital goods) imported or procured duty free, the unit fails to achive Net Foreign Exchange Earning as a Percentage of Exports (NFEP) and Export Performance (EP) as specified in Appendix-1 of said Export and Import Policy, within one year of importation or procurement of such goods or within such extended period, not exceeding one year, as the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, on being satisfied that there is sufficient cause, allow;

Provided that the Commissioner of Customs may extend the period for achievement of Net Foreign Exchange as a Percentage of Exports (NFEP) or Export Performance (EP) for further period not exceeding five years from the date of importation or procurement;".

(8) the procedure, as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Customs, is followed by such unit.

(9) Notwithstanding anything contained in this notification, the exemption contained herein shall also apply to goods which on importation into India are used for the development of software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control, data management or rendering of call centre services within the unit and such software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control, data management or call centre services even if not exported out of India, are allowed to be sold in India in physical form under and in accordance with the said Import and Export Policy, as amended from time to time, and in such quantity and subject to such limitations and conditions as may be specified in this behalf by the Standing Committee on payment of duty of excise leviable on such software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control or data management under section 3 of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944), or where such software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control data management is non-excisable, customs duty equal in amount to that leviable on the inputs obtained under this notification and used for the purpose of manufacture or development of such software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control data management, which would have been paid but for the exemption under this notification, shall be payable at the time of clearance of such software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control data management:

Provided that the sale of software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control data management or call centre services shall be allowed through data communication link or telecommunication link subject such conditions as may specified by the Commissioner of Customs;

(10) The Assistant Commissioner may, subject to the conditions and limitations stipulated in the said Import and Export Policy as amended from time to time, permit the goods imported into India for the purpose aforesaid or, the software developed, data entered and converted, data processed, data analysed and controlled or data management done to be taken temporarily outside the unit without payment of duty, for repairs or display as the case may be and the importer shall be bound to comply with such conditions and limitations.

(11) The Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may, as per procedure specified by him allow a unit to re-export the goods imported by it.


(12) The telematic infrastructure equipment, if any, imported by the importer, may also be utilised for export by other units engaged in the said activities.

(13) the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may allow the supply / transfer of goods imported by a unit to another hundred per cent export oriented undertaking or to a unit in the Export Processing Zone / Free Trade Zone for the purpose of the said activities for export as per procedure specified by him in this regard and necessary permission granted by the Chief Executive of the Software Technology Park.

(14) the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may permit use of computer system for training purpose (including commercial training) subject to the condition that the unit had achieved prescribed Net foreign exchange earning as percentage of exports and that no computer terminal shall be installed outside the bonded premises for the purpose.

(15) the Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs, subject to approval of the Commissioner of Customs, may allow diesel generating sets/ captive power plants, central air-conditioning equipments, uninterrupted power supply system, networking equipments, data transfer protocol equipments, EPABX, Fax, photocopier equipment and security system imported by a unit to be utilised by other unit(s) under Software Technology Park Scheme belonging to the owner of the importer unit and located in the same compound or nearby/adjoining premises for the purpose of said activities and export thereof.

2.Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph 1, in the case of a units engaged in the said activities, the exemption contained therein shall also apply to goods imported by such unit for any or all said purposes for export and for providing consultancy services for any or all such activities o site abroad.

Provided that -

(a) the conditions stipulated in this notification are complied with by the said unit; and

(b) the procedrue specified by the Commissioner of Customs is followed.



EXPLANATION. - With effect from 13th August, 1993, the cosnultancy fees received by software development units in convertible foreign currencies for consultancy services for development of software, data entry and conversion, data processing, data analysis and control or data management on site abroad shall be deemed to be exports for the purposes of fulfilment of export obligation under this notification.

THE TABLE

Sl.No.	Description of goods
(1)	(2)
1.	Capital goods and accessories thereof
2.	Raw materials.
3.	Components.
4.	Spares for production machinery.
5.	Consumables required for manufacture of goods.
6.	Drawings, blue prints, technical maps and charts relating to manufacturing activity.
7.	Office equipment including PABX, fax machine, video projection system,spares, consumables thereof;
8.	Captive power plants or diesel generating sets or transformers as recommended by the Chief Executive of the Software Technology Park Society / Designated Officer.
9.	Accessories, spares and consumables for goods at serial number 8 above as approved by the Assistant Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Customs.
10.	Uninterrupted power supply system (UPS), pollution control equipment, quality assurance equipment, storage systems, special racks for storage, modular furniture, computer furniture, anti-static carpet, tele-conference equipment, servo control system, panels for electricals, air-conditioners, security systems,networking equipments, data transfer protocol equipment and central air-conditioning equipments.
11.	Spares and consurnables for goods specified at serial number 10 above
12.	Raw materials for making capital goods for use within the unit for the purpose of production or manufacture of export goods.
13.	Any other item required in relation to production of export goods with the prior approval of Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee.