New Indian rule backfires, boosts unofficial gold trade

India’s government latest attempt to curb gold imports has boosted unofficial trading in the world’s second-biggest gold consumer, industry experts say, rather than promote transparency and dent demand.

The government made it mandatory for customers to disclose their Permanent Account Number (PAN) for purchases above Rs. 2 lakh from January 1.

This was done to track larger deals and deter the hundreds of millions of people outside the tax net from buying gold to keep their wealth out of sight of the authorities.

Read more…