India's Free Trade and DTAs - Preview

2 Introduction ROHIT KAPUR Country Manager Dezan Shira & Associates India has attracted global attention this year for the country’s ambitious newgoods and service tax (GST): consolidating procedures while bringingmore industries into the formal economy. The Indian government is making it easier to penetrate the country’s growing markets and businesses the world over are taking notice. In fact, the 2016 financial year marked a record amount of foreign direct investment entering India in a single year – US$60.1 billion. A surge in isolationist polices inWestern countries are encouragingmany businesses to rethink once taken for granted trade relations and explore new, emerging markets. India’s free trade and double tax agreements with individual countries and groups of nations alike present new trading routes throughout Asia. These agreements can, at times, appear convoluted and confusing. The benefits of each respective agreement must be analyzed for applicability to ensure fiscal improvements to foreign business models. In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we take a look at the bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that India currently has in place and highlight the deals that are still in negotiation. We analyze the country’s double tax agreements, and conclude by discussing how foreign businesses can establish a presence in Singapore to access the Indian and ASEAN markets. With kind regards, Rohit Kapur www.dezshira.com www.asiabriefing.com www.aseanbriefing.com www.indonesiabriefing.com www.vietnam-briefing.com Credits Publisher / Adam Livermore Editor / Melissa Cyrill, Bradley Dunseith Design / Kking Lu Years 1992-2017 Reference India Briefing and related titles are produced by Asia Briefing Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dezan Shira Group. Content is provided by Dezan Shira & Associates. No liability may be accepted for any of the contents of this publication. Readers are strongly advised to seek professional advice when actively looking to implement suggestions made within this publication. For queries regarding the content of this magazine, please contact: editor@asiabriefing.com All materials and contents © 2017 Asia Briefing Ltd. Asia Briefing Ltd., Unit 507, 5/F, Chinachem Golden Plaza 77 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East Kowloon, Hong Kong www.china-briefing.com