Extreme Offshoring: IT Edition

India's Business Standard is reporting that Infosys is looking at moving IT work from outsourced contracts from the U.S. to India in response to rising Visa costs.  Per the article, Infosys has the ability to offshore 95% of its work.

An excerpt from the article:

Against the backdrop of a clampdown on visas by the US and growing antagonism towards foreign workers and immigrants in that country, Infosys Technologies, India's second-largest IT services firm, is mulling an ‘extreme offshoring’ model to help reduce its dependence on H1 and L1 visas.

“There is a cost element (due to the visa fee hike) to what is happening now and there is a philosophical or directional element. The cost is no doubt increasing, but it is manageable. But it is more about what it indicates. If there a build-up of negativity in sentiment, we have to prepare ourselves (for extreme offshoring) if need be. However, as long as unemployment remains high, the negative sentiment will continue, unfortunately,” Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO and MD, Infosys Technologies, told Business Standard.

You can read the full article here: Infosys plans 'extreme offshore' model to tide over visa crisis

Outsourcing firms get tax break

A story from Shanghai Daily discusses China's efforts to boost its outsourcing business through tax incentives.  Despite the economic downturn, China continues to move agressively to remain attractive to US and European firms looking to outsource IT, BPO and KPO functions.  China has identified 21 cities that are exempt from taxes for companies setting up outsourcing operations.

An excerpt from the article:

OFFSHORE service outsourcing companies in 21 cities will be exempted from business tax effective through the end of 2013 as part of China's efforts to boost the offshore outsourcing business.

Revenues from information technology outsourcing (ITO), business process outsourcing (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) are eligible for the policy, effective from July 1. Firms registered in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and 17 other cities can enjoy the tax break, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

You can read more here: Outsourcing firms get tax break