Xiaomi India Slapped With Rs. 653-Crore Notice for Alleged Tax Evasion

Neither Xiaomi India nor its contract manufacturers were found to include royalty amount paid in the assessable value of the goods imported.

By Press Trust of India | Updated: 5 January 2022 18:11 IST

Xiaomi India Slapped With Rs. 653-Crore Notice for Alleged Tax Evasion

During the investigation, searches were conducted by the DRI at the premises of Xiaomi India

Highlights

Investigation was initiated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
Xiaomi India was evading Customs duty
Searches led to the recovery of incriminating documents

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi evaded custom duty to the tune of Rs. 653 crore in India, Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

Based upon an intelligence that M/s Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited (Xiaomi India) was evading customs duty by way of undervaluation, an investigation was initiated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) against Xiaomi India and its contract manufacturers.

Xiaomi provided Gadgets 360 the following statement:

Xiaomi to Open Car Plant in Beijing With Annual Output of 300,000 Vehicles

At Xiaomi India, we give utmost importance to ensuring we comply with all Indian laws. We are currently reviewing the notice in detail. As a responsible company, we will support the authorities with all necessary documentation.

"After completion of the investigation by the DRI, three show cause notices have been issued to M/s Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited for demand and recovery of duty amounting to Rs. 653 crore for the period 01.04.2017 to 30.06.2020, under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962," Finance Ministry said in a statement.

During the investigation, searches were conducted by the DRI at the premises of Xiaomi India, which led to the recovery of incriminating documents indicating that Xiaomi India was remitting royalty and licence fee to Qualcomm USA and to Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software, under contractual obligation.

We Speak With Xiaomi India Team About the Upcoming Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge 5G

"Statements of key persons of Xiaomi India and its contract manufactures were recorded, during which one of the directors of Xiaomi India confirmed the said payments," the Finance Ministry said.

It further emerged that the "royalty and licence fee" paid by Xiaomi India to Qualcomm USA and to Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software, China (related party of Xiaomi India) were not being added in the transaction value of the goods imported by Xiaomi India and its contract manufacturers, it added.

The investigations conducted by the DRI further showed that Xiaomi India is engaged in the sale of MI brand mobile phones and these mobile phones are either imported by Xiaomi India or assembled in India by importing parts and components of mobile phones by contract manufacturers of Xiaomi India.

The Mi brand mobile phones manufactured by the contract manufacturers are sold exclusively to Xiaomi India, in terms of the contract agreement.

Evidence gathered during the investigations by the DRI indicated that neither Xiaomi India nor its contract manufactures were including the amount of royalty paid by Xiaomi India in the assessable value of the goods imported by Xiaomi India and its contract manufacturers, which is in violation of Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 and Customs valuation (determination of value of imported goods) Rules 2007.

By not adding "royalty and licence fee" into the transaction value, Xiaomi India was evading Customs duty being the beneficial owner of such imported mobile phones, the parts and components thereof, the Finance Ministry said.

Xiaomi India speaks exclusively to Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, on their plans for 2022 and pushing for 120W fast charging with the 11i HyperCharge. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.