Biggies are not setting up plant precisely because they know they don't need to. Peoply can't buy any above 250cc bike (except bullet) at sane prices, so they will have to be content with 100-150cc crop the companies currently have. If at all 250cc bikes are introduced at same international price level, then the current players may have to play in unknown territory.

Secondly, this more export and less import story. Allow me to quickly explain: Suppose I produce rice and you produce daal. If I say I will only export rice, or for 10kg export of rice I'll import only 1kg of daal, I won't help your economy to improve. Fine, so this excess 9kg rice (assuming the prices are same) that you have gotten, how does it end up in the books? It is a 'debt' that you owe me. But how else are you going to repay this debt, except to send me daal?

So basically, in order to have more export, we MUST have more import. It is not a one way road.

Hope the above explain the stuff

As per the responsibility thing, I am not going to fight or defend whether the import taxes are appropriate. Overfed and overpaid babus have made these laws, and they have got a good support from the current players. Like it or not, I don't think the decision was made seeing the 'responsibilities of rich to the poor' (those responsibilities are supposed to be taken care of from tax, and partially they do, by ending up in the pocket of our poor politicians).

If I were industry minister I would hike duty to 200%, why import ? Let the biggies set up plants here give jobs to us and make profits and share them here in India ? Importing is bad on economy (both macro & micro).

So, would you say all the bilateral trade agreements/FTAs etc are harmful?
If I were the Commerce or Finance minister I would have abolished the duties. But as they say, if wishes were horses...

Great to hear from all the members in here. I appreciate your words and time on this thread.

@niks_devil666
In developed nations taxes are not on the basis of slab system, hence a part of income which is extra gets deducted in tax which at times turns out to be a lot, 33% or so, where as in India the slab lets the tax to be deducted in tune of 10-30% for income above 5lacks and so. Adding on, majority of Indian population's income lies in the Nil slab. A small percentage of people living mostly in urban India pay taxes above 30%. The average software engineer in India pays less tax than what one pays in US.

And i'm sure that you are aware as how much they get in US. we don't even get fraction of it here in India. so comparing the tax with them is comletly baseless.

@theslayer
I understand entertainment is a part of life and it should be there. I cannot imagine my life without music and movies. However, entertainment like riding a 1000cc motorbike which consumes more fuel per kilometer than a poor rural Indian earns in a day is lavish. I ain't against the enjoyment factor, I'm against the fact that people spend huge money on entertainment when someone living few miles away doesn't get enough food to survive.
So, when we are talking about 1000cc bikes, we are talking about a lot of money, and that money can come only from the one who has the capacity to spend, i.e. the rich, so even if they pay double on what they might have paid in US, the rich won't mind it.
With time these policies will be relaxed and of course we will see bikes sold at much affordable prices in India, but the time needed is inversely proportional to development. I'm sure you don't want to ride a Harley from the "small ways" made in between slums.
Don't mind bro, but i looks like that you think that rich people have a money tree from which they can get as much as they want and wouldn't mind it. It is quite easy to say that they don't mind paying extra??? if it was you or me in their shoes then i would surely have questioned every extra penny that is going out of my pocket. At the end of the money it's hard earned money.
And why only Bikes???? There is no login behind paying double the amount of actual price. No reason whatsoever can justify that. And regarding poor people, I've seen so many people who raise multiple children so that that can sit back at home enjoying all means of high and sending their children to earn. to the traffic lights, begging, selling stuff and what not. most of the time they are into alcohol stuff and don't care whether their family have got their meal or not.
And then I've seen so called poor people rising from there and becoming successful. India is full of such stories.



@svjhonda
How many people do you think want a superbike? A small percentage of people living in urban India. The rural population still strives to own a motorcycle. For that small percentage that wants and can afford a superbike, spending extra is not at all difficult.
Honestly speaking, if you have the money then you will also go for the Super bike. Each and every member here would do that and anyone who has interest in bikes would do that. Every college goes, every guy with dreams in his would go for it. So It's not small percentage in urban cities, it's about the passion which is there in rural areas as well. And Spending extra for no valid reason is always difficult.

@viny
1. There ain't much takes of 250cc bikes in India. In metros the common bike is a 150cc, in semi urban its 125cc and in rural India its 100cc. Its demand and supply principle that doesn't lets manufacture go high on engine capacity.
2. Yeah I agree with you on this. The sticker job from Hero Honda is really bad and can be implied due to lack of quality competition.
3. I understand that the government wants to earn some money and also to limit the use of these vehicles to the class that can afford it with a smile. However, what the government fails to deliver this extra money to the poor and in need.
4. Pay real amounts, then please don't bother paying the extra.
1.> Who says that there is no market for 250cc>???? are we not dying to get a proper 250cc here in India??? if there was no market for 250 then there would have never been any RD, No Bullet and nothing. 150 is common because there re plenty choices to choose from and if we get similar choices in 250 then it would be as common as 150's
2.>It's not about quality competition, it's about your attitude. competition is plenty but who cares??? And why HH only? don't you remember what happened to the first lot of discovers??? they were in the market sans any stickering work and then they launched one with snickering and went straight to banks all smiling.
3.> stealing more from a part of society is in no way correct. rather than constructing numerous memorials (like in UP) if that money is wisely used then people from UP and Bihar will never have to step out of their own state to find better live.Rather then burdening the population, they should place a mechanism in place for the effective and meaningful distribution of resources.
4.> real amount and extra amount never go hand in hand.. If it's real, it can't be extra.
@pudix
I've extensively traveled in various poor states of India. Have been to many villages, hitchhiked on villager's vehicles, and have seen the face of India from a farmer's view. I saw how much pain, trouble and misery poor people go through just to survive.
Even i've been to many places in India(thanks to my father army background) and i've seen all the diffrent faces of India. But tell me; there are so many people sleeing without any meal. Do you also do that because few people are not getting anything to eat? Do you also walk to any place where you have to go, because many people cannot afford transportation?? Have you stopped wearing any branded stuff because they cannot afford it? Have you stopped eating in resturants and pizzahut because they can't do it? or have you stopped watching movies? In my case atleast answer is NO. To help someone does't mean you start starving. there are many ways to help them but then you should be logical enough to select the right path. And pne more point, the large part of farmer population takes a loan in name of their feilds and then spend it on their childrens marriage and other things. Then they ask govt to waive it off. I'm not saving that everyone does that but there is large population who never uses these funds the way they are suposed to be used. After this I never went back to Taj Land's End or an expensive phone and have used that extra money that I had to help the poor in some way or the other.
With this zeal to develop infrastructure in Rural India, I felt the need for people to see the picture before being biased on the use of expensive vehicles in India. When your brother in a village can ride a Splendor, feel free to own a Harley, but when he struggles to repair his bicycle, its all obnoxious.
India has been talking about development and GDPs, but the whole lot of development is limited to a large Urban population. Even these villagers want a better life and so they migrate to metros increasing burden and population. Problems are everywhere, but they have different sets in places. In India we are hampering our thoughts by thinking that we have the latest Blackberry and now its time to have Harley, where at the same time a farmer is committing suicide because he cannot repay 1/3rd of what that Blackberry costs. Blame it on politicians, or on system, trouble starts from us.


Summing it up, I ain't against the use of expensive vehicles. I feel the need to have a balance in our society and nation, a Harley and a bicycle doesn't create a balance. Hope my comment didn't hurt anyone's, I just tried to present my take on this.

@theslayer

Affirmative.. Thanks for pointing out what biking is all about, never knew it..

@Ayush Singh:

Have you noticed this thread hasn't garnered much interest? It's not that people don't have things to say. It's just that they know whatever they say, you'll stick to your opinions. So what's the point?