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The government is considering a scheme to refund taxes imposed on India’s exports to the US that will suffer loss of competitiveness once the concessional duties enjoyed under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) are withdrawn.  A Rebate of State Levies (ROSL) kind of scheme, which would refund unrebated taxes that are included in the price of goods, would incentivise exporters and ensure India’s shipments do not drop. The unrebated taxes would be refunded through the drawback route. “Leather, textiles, some lines of organic chemicals, and nuclear reactors and boilers are some sectors that are likely to face a disadvantage. The government may consider ROSL for these sectors,” an official in the know of the development said.  While most Indian exports are incentivised through the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme, the programme has been disputed by the US for violating the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.  ROSL is compliant with international trade norm...

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to reduce the cost of money for the second time in as many months as mounting concerns over a global economic slowdown, particularly in the US, and its impact on the emerging markets make investors rather wary of fresh investments into capital assets.  According to an ET survey of 26 market participants, an overwhelming majority expect a quarter percentage point reduction in the repo, or the rate at which banks borrow short-term money, when the central bank concludes its monetary policy review Thursday. The repo is now set at 6.25%. “Global economic conditions point to a synchronised growth slowdown, dampening oil prices,” said Gaurav Kapur, chief economist at IndusInd Bank. “This in turn will strengthen RBI’s rate-cut call as inflation is unlikely to spring a negative surprise over the next couple of quarters. RBI will focus more on ensuring future liquidity support to make the transmission of rate cuts more effective.”  Two parti...