India, Oct. 16 -- Apple is reportedly lobbying the Centre to relax income tax laws regarding the ownership of "high-end" iPhone machinery that the big tech giant provides to its contract manufacturers.

Sources told Reuters that Apple executives have held talks with Indian officials in recent months to tweak the law so that the company is not taxed for owning the machinery. As per the report, the company fears that the taxes would hamper its future growth in the country.

For context, Apple's contract manufacturers in India, Foxconn and Tata, have infused billions of dollars to set up units in the country. However, millions of those expenses go towards acquiring these pricey machines for iPhone assembly.

"Contract manufacturers cannot pu...