Law and order is the governments monopoly. So it is a matter of national shame if someone is harming our industry. These industries generate jobs and add to our GDP.
Apple however I don’t think is the brand to support from taxpayer money. The entire ecosystem is dependent on subsidy. The subsidy on each Apple phone is USD 6. USD 3 goes into production cost and USD 3 is margin. Take away the subsidy and there is no margin.
But if one looks at it positively, we have the manufacturing capacity. And it can be pivoted to make an indian brand. But the way it is playing out, an Indian brand would probably need to manufacture in China and sell apps out of Singapore because Indian laws are anti national and pro MNC. It is a challenge to cross this pro MNC mindset right across.
And a challenge which must be met. Otherwise we will be reduced to providing human robots at the cost of public funds. The businesses will be subsidy dependent and once one MNC gets away beating the law like Apple is getting away – there will be no option left but for Indian brands to go overseas.
The EDF form is one such challenge. The form is due to be implemented from October 1, 2026 and essentially says that if an Indian company sells a mobile app globally for say USD 0.1, it should fill a export form with the name and address of the buyer. There is no value based exemption. When Apple sells and app or a phone or a service, there is no such requirement as the service is sold from overseas and billed in dollars.
Getting a level playing field is critical for the success of local brands. Else they will fail. Apple is not going to add to India’s GDP the way an Indian brand will.
Somewhere the govt has to be more pro indian and less pro MNC. Otherwise why even try building Indian brands. Everyone should work for MNCs and use foreign products (manufactured in India using taxpayer funded subsidies).
