The government announced that COVID-19 vaccines would be exempted from customs duty for three months until December 31, 2021. In a gazette notification, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said, "This notification shall come into force on 1st October 2021 and remain in force upto and inclusive of the 31st December 2021".
The gazette notification stated that the government felt that it was necessary in the public interest to do so. The exemption is expected to make vaccines cheaper and spurt availability, as well as accessibility, as the country looks to amplify its daily vaccination rates.
The government had exempted basic customs duty on the import of COVID-19 vaccines back in April, this year. The vaccines were to attract a 10 per cent import duty following the conclusion of the exemption period.
Currently, India imports the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. It has granted emergency use approval (EUA) to vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
