India doubles gold customs duty to 10%, total tax hits 18.45% as DGFT caps exporter imports at 100kg

Government raised basic customs duty on gold from 6% to 10% and lifted AIDC five-fold to 5%, pushing total tax incidence to 18.45%. DGFT capped duty-free jewellery-exporter imports at 100kg. Domestic 22K gold at ₹14,895/gm; spot discounts widened past USD 200/oz as physical demand cooled.

— FiledFri, 15 May, 2026, 08:35 IST·First seen Fri, 15 May, 2026, 08:34 IST·Source Times of India · Business

What happened

Government of India · India doubled gold customs duty to 10% and hiked AIDC five-fold, lifting total tax incidence to 18.45%. DGFT capped duty-free

Key facts

  • import duty 6% to 15%
  • basic customs duty 10%
  • AIDC 1% to 5%
  • tax incidence 18.45%
  • Advance Authorisation cap 100 kg
  • 22K gold ₹14,895/gm
  • silver ₹3,000/10gm
  • platinum ₹65,360/10gm
  • India gold imports USD 71.98 bn FY26
  • volumes 721.03 tonnes (-4.76%)
  • spot discounts >USD 200/oz
  • spot gold $4,619.49/oz (-0.6%)
  • US gold futures $4,625.70 (-1.3%)
  • Brent >$106

Why this matters

Tax shock and export caps create acquisition opportunities among stressed mid-tier jewellers and exporters, while vertically integrated players with bonded warehousing or SEZ operations gain strategic premium as regulatory arbitrage targets.