NEW DELHI, June 6 (PTI): India has informed the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that it is making efforts to resolve the disputes with the US over high rates of duties on wines and spirits.
India's representative in Geneva, the WTO headquarters, yesterday blocked the formation of a panel to examine additional duties on wines and spirits as requested by the US.
India stated that the US request for setting up a dispute settlement was "premature" since it was "still working towards a mutually acceptable solution," according to WTO officials.
The solution would involve scrapping the additional customs duties and allowing the state governments to levy local taxes on imported liquor equivalent to the domestic imports. The issue is likely to be resolved by in the next one month, officials said.
New Delhi was able to veto Washington since it was the first US request to establish a panel on this case. However, "at the second request, the establishment is automatically granted. Blocking the establishment of a panel at the first request is quite common," chief WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told the news agency.
WTO working to resolve wine row with US: India
FE Team | Published: June 07, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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