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Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) has expressed concern over the hike in basic customs duty on compounded rubber announced in the Union Budget, saying the increase will lead to a rise in the cost of production and affect price competitiveness. The association also urged the government to reconsider it. In the Budget 2023-24, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the basic customs duty rate on compounded rubber is being increased from 10 per cent to '25 per cent or Rs 30/kg whichever is lower', at par with that on natural rubber other than latex, to curb circumvention of duty.

ATMA Chairman Satish Sharma has said that the enhancement of duty on compound rubber has come as a matter of concern for the industry. He said as such, India is deficient in rubber production, both natural and synthetic. In fact, natural rubber in India attracts the highest rate of duty of 25 per cent despite the fact that there is a wide gap between demand and availability and imports are inevitable. In the interest of Make in India, he said the increase in duty on a key raw material in which India is deficient needs reconsideration.

Sharma further said the budget is a growth-oriented one and will impart a definitive push to the growth trajectory of the economy. He said especially the significant 33 per cent hike in the capex outlay at Rs 10 lakh crore, the highest ever, will be a boost for all segments of the industry, including the tyre sector which, as wheels of the economy, is tied to the economic growth directly.