Indians love all things Apple.
But by the time the MacBooks, iPods and the like make it to India from Cupertino via China, the gear is taxed so heavily few can afford it.
The important tax and custom stamps has given to a thriving “gray” market, in which Indians are smuggling huge loads of illegal iPods and MacBooks from Singapore, Dubai and Malaysia.
“As a result, it’s now almost impossible to buy any Apple product legally,” writes Wired. “For its part, Apple doesn’t have much incentive to push retailers to stay legit. Since added costs go to the government, not Apple, it may well be in Apple’s best interest to look the other way and let smugglers drive up the company’s sales numbers.”
Via Wired News
