Apple near deal to begin manufacturing in India

After a meeting with Apple representatives today, a government official in India said an agreement to get the company to open manufacturing facilities in the country is “almost a done deal,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Despite earlier concerns that offering concessions to Apple would prove too costly and bring little benefit to the country, an official with direct knowledge of the negotiations now claims, “Many of the incentives sought by Apple are workable.” Apple has requested a 15-year tax holiday on the duties usually collected on imported components and equipment to open up shop in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been actively working to draw foreign investment in India, and a top bureaucrat in Modi’s office said the government intends to “settle with Apple.” For Apple’s part, a company spokeswoman said only, “We appreciate the constructive and open dialogue we’ve had with [the] government about further expanding our local operations.”