Will Rahman get Customs Exemption?

By Vijay Kumar

But the CBEC Chairman may have a problem;

The Oscar statuettes weighing 8.5 pounds are made of britannia metal, plated in copper, nickel, silver, and 24-karat gold.

Rahman will be bringing in two of them, obviously in his baggage and the Customs will have a tough time clearing them and if they want to find its value – should be invaluable! It will be a shame to ask Rahman to declare its value. Maybe we can say Rahman got it for a song.

Now what will happen if they don't know whether it can be cleared without customs duty or if duty is to be paid, how much? Will they detain the statuettes?

To remove any doubts, CBEC may try to issue a clarification/notification that the Oscar statuettes are exempted from Customs Duties, so that there are no embarrassing scenes at the airport when Rahman returns to India to a tumultuous welcome. CBEC and the Finance Minister should act immediately.