The deadline for supplying the current year's tariff is 30 March, and that for imports of the previous year, is 30 September. This applies to those Members which base their tariffs on a calendar year. For other Members, the deadlines are adjusted to take into account the dates when the national tariff comes into force.

There are no WTO definitions of “developed” and “developing” countries. Members announce for themselves whether they are “developed” or “developing” countries. However, other members can challenge the decision of a member to make use of provisions available to developing countries. See also LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES and SMALL ECONOMIES.

See PROFILES (TARIFF AND TRADE).

WTO work programme agreed at the WTO Ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar in November 2001. Refer to the Doha Agenda on the WTO website for further information.

(Sometimes 'internal support'). In agriculture, any domestic subsidy or other measure which acts to maintain producer prices at levels above those prevailing in international trade; direct payments to producers, including deficiency payments, and input and marketing cost reduction measures available only for agricultural production.

This option allows you to download the IDB Glossary as a compiled Help file (IAFGlossary.CHM). This will allow you to view the entire Help file without connecting to the Internet. The compiled Help file also contains a table of contents, an index and permits for searching the Help file by keywords. Also please note that if you try to execute the following links from the downloaded help file, you will receive an browser error message that the page cannot be displayed.

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Note: Permission to make digital or hard copies of any information contained in the IDB glossary is granted for internal government or organization use, without fee and without formal request.  Full citation and copyright notice must appear on the first page, including copyright notice of information in the glossary compiled from non-WTO Secretariat sources.  

Copies may not be made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage.  Republishing, posting on publicly available servers, or redistributing outside the government or organization are not permitted.

Repayment of import duties on a product re-exported or used in the manufacture of goods to be exported.

Occurs when goods are exported at a price less than their normal value, generally meaning they are exported for less than they are sold in the domestic market or third-country markets, or at less than production cost.

Related terms:

DIVERSIONARY DUMPING - The export of a product at dumped prices to an intermediate country from where it is exported to its true destination. The purpose of diversionary dumping may be to take advantage of the pricing structure of the intermediate country in order to avert anti-dumping measures.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.102

DOWNSTREAM DUMPING - A name given to the practice of selling a component of a product at less than full cost to a home country producer. This producer then transforms the component or incorporates it in another product, thereby gaining a price advantage on export markets.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.105

HIDDEN DUMPING - A form of dumping said to occur when a firm exports goods at ostensibly market prices to a related firm, but in reality at a lower cost. The second firm then sells the goods in the importing country at about that price, but the transaction has all the time been below market price.  

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.170

THIRD-COUNTRY DUMPING - A situation in which the exports of a product from the first country are being injured or threatened with injury as a result of exports of the same product from a second country into a third country at less than fair value.  

Source: http://www.asycuda.org/cuglossa.asp?firstlet=T&submit1=Browse

The alleged practice of dumping by competitors in third markets in which one also has an interest.  The WTO rules on anti-dumping measures do not cover so-called third-country dumping.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.341

Customs duties for which the duty is not zero.

A customs duty is a tax levied at the border on imported goods. There are different technical methods of assessing customs duties - ad valorem (percentage of import value), specific (based on weight or volume of goods), mixed (ad valorem or specific - whichever is higher/lower), compound (ad valorem and specific) or on another basis (e.g. according to percentage content of a product component). In the IDB, the duty nature code is used to record the technical method of duty assessment. Examples of different methods of duty assessment are as follows:

AD VALOREM DUTY (Duty nature code = A)

An ad valorem duty is expressed as a percentage of the value of the imported goods (e.g. 10% of value).

SPECIFIC DUTY (Duty nature code = S)

A specific duty is not related to the value of the imported goods but to the weight, volume, surface, etc. of the goods. The specific duty stipulates how many units of currency are to be levied per unit of quantity (e.g. 2.00 Swiss Francs per KG).  In the case of specific duties, the ad valorem equivalent (AVE) can be calculated, which gives the equivalent level of the duty in percentage terms at a given time (the year of imports used in the calculation).

COMPOUND DUTY (Duty nature code = C)

 A compound duty comprises an ad valorem duty to which is added or subtracted a specific duty: 10% plus $2.00/KG; 20% less $2.00/KG.

MIXED DUTY (Duty nature code = M)

A mixed duty ensures a minimum or a maximum tariff protection by the choice between, in general, an ad valorem duty and a specific duty as in the following examples: 10% minimum $2.00/KG; 10% or $2.00/KG whichever is less; 10% maximum $2.00/KG, etc.

OTHER DUTY (Duty nature code = O)

Examples of other duties are:  $0.51¢ each + 6.25% on the case and strap, band or bracelet + 5.3% on the battery;  3.1¢/liter + 22.1¢/pf. liter on ethyl alcohol content

Duties are stored in the IDB Tariff Coded (TC) file. The duty type (pos.1 below) / duty code (pos.2-3 below) fields are used to distinguish the different types of duties as follows:

01 = MFN Current Bound duty

For each tariff line on which a concession has been offered, this is the bound duty in force for the year of the tariff. Depending on the year and the staging period for implementation of the concession, the current bound duty contains either the staged reduction for the year of the tariff or the final bound duty.

02 = MFN Applied (legal/statutory/autonomous) duty

Also known as "Statutory", "legal" or "autonomous" duties, these are the legal customs duties, which are normally published in the customs tariff law voted by Parliament. Usually this duty applies when the tariff line is unbound or, if the tariff line is bound, when it is lower than the MFN current bound duty.

03 = MFN Effectively applied (temporary) duty

Also known as "temporary" duty, these customs duties are applied for an undetermined period of time or for a limited period of time. Temporary duties are sometimes voted by Parliament or, more often, decided upon by the government for economic reasons (inflation, balance of payments, etc).

09B = MFN Uruguay Round base duty

The duties that were used as a basis for the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, i.e. MFN bound duties as of 1988 and, for unbound items, MFN applied duties applicable as of September 1986.

09F = MFN Uruguay Round (or more recent concession) final bound duty

The duties offered as concessions for the Uruguay Round of or more recent concessions. Where applicable, this is the bound duty in force at the end of the staging period. If the end of the staging period has been reached, this duty would be equal to the MFN current bound duty.

10-19 = Free Trade Area duty

Duties applicable to signatories of Free Trade Agreements.  For a given Member, a different duty type/code is used for each agreement to which the Member is signatory.

20-29 = Zone-Zone duty

Duties applicable to signatories of preferential agreements between trade zones, such as EFTA and the EU.  

30-39 = Other preferential duty

Usually bilateral preferences, which are not necessarily granted on a reciprocal basis.  For a given Member, a different duty type/code is used for each country to which preferences are granted.

40-49 = GSP duty

Duty type/code 40 is used to record preferences offered unilaterally by developed and transition Members under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Exceptions to the GSP Scheme can be recorded using duty type/codes 41-49.  Duty type 40 is also used to record preferences offered under the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP).

50-59 = LDC duty

Duty type/code 50 is used to record preferences offered to Least Developed Countries.

80 = General duty (higher than MFN)

Duty applicable under general treatment.  These duties, which are less favourable than MFN, are applied to non-WTO Members in some import markets.

Of the above duties, provision of the MFN current bound duty and the MFN current applied duty is mandatory under the IDB notification requirement.  Provision of the other types of duties is optional.

If the tariff line is bound, the MFN applied duty can be lower than or equal to the MFN current bound duty, but it cannot be higher. The MFN effectively applied (temporary) duty can be lower or higher than the MFN applied duty but, if the tariff line is bound, it cannot be higher than the MFN current bound duty. The MFN current bound duty or the MFN applied duty (if the duty is unbound) should be present for every customs tariff line in the IDB.

When preferential duties are supplied, the IDB can contain all duties applicable under FTA agreements, regional agreements (zone-zone duties), other preferential arrangements (usually bilateral) and under the GSP or GSTP schemes. If a country grants a differentiated tariff treatment to least developed countries (LDCs), the duty applicable to LDCs can also be recorded. The IDB format provides a means to associate to each duty, the country or the group of countries to which the duty applies. It is also possible to record trading partner exclusions to preferential arrangements at the tariff line level.

Duties applicable under general treatment can also be recorded. These duties, which are less favourable than MFN, are applied to non-WTO Members in some import markets.

Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (compensatory duties applied under Article VI of the GATT 1994), duties relating to safeguard measures, duties relating to the dispute settlement process and excise duties are not covered in the IDB.

Related terms:

Note:  Non-Secretariat sources sometimes use the term "tariff" to refer to a duty.  For the IDB, the Secretariat usually uses the term "tariff" when referring to the whole of a customs tariff.  The Secretariat usually uses the term "duty" rather than "rate" unless specifically referring to an ad valorem duty rate.

ALTERNATIVE SPECIFIC TARIFF (referred to as a mixed duty in the IDB) - A tariff rate set either at an ad valorem rate, i.e. expressed as a percentage of the value of the product, or at a specific rate, i.e. set as a fixed monetary rate per article. The customs authorities then usually apply the higher of the two. See also ad valorem tariff and specific tariff.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p. 17

APPLIED TARIFF RATES - The tariff rates imposed by a customs administration when a good crosses the border. These rates are often lower than the bound rates arrived at as a result of trade negotiations or the rates listed in national tariff schedules.

Derived from:   Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p. 27

COMPOSITE TARIFF - Compound tariff.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.75

CONVENTIONAL TARIFF - A tariff established through a "convention" (or international agreement) resulting from tariff negotiations and, hence, not subject to modifications by national action. See also GENERAL TARIFF.

Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/trade/glossac.htm#convtar

EXPORT TARIFFS - A levy on goods or commodities at the time they leave a customs territory. Reasons for imposing export tariffs include raising revenue, the desire to promote further processing of commodities within the country and a policy of ensuring that commodities perceived as scarce and necessary for domestic production are reserved as much as possible for local industry.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.134

IMPORT TARIFFS - These are customs duties levied at the border on products imported from other economies.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.176

TARIFF-RATE QUOTA - A quota that is determined on the basis of the applicable tariff rate applied to imports. A predetermined amount of a good is allowed to enter at a reduced or zero tariff rate. After the quota has been filled, all subsequent shipments of that good during a specific period of time, such as a calendar year, are assessed a higher import tariff, usually the normal most-favored-nation tariff.  

Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/trade/glosssz.htm#s

IN-QUOTA RATE - The tariff applicable to a product imported within the limits of a tariff quota.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.180

OUT-OF-QUOTA RATE - the tariff rate applicable to products imported in excess of a tariff quota.   This rate is meant to discourage imports above the quota limit.  It is usually much higher than the one applied to imports within the quota.

Source: Walter Goode: Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, Fourth Edition, (Cambridge University Press/WTO, 2003), p.266

Customs duties for which the duty rate is zero.

The weight of the imported goods upon which non-ad valorem customs duties are assessed. The World Customs Organization adopted a recommendation on the use of standard units of quantity to facilitate the collection, comparison and analysis of international statistics based on the Harmonized System. It also recommended that weight figures be collected on a net weight basis. The method of duty assessment should be specified in IDB submissions under 'references'.

In the IDB, the averaging method code is used to determine whether or not a duty should be taken into account in the calculation of simple averages when two or more duty rates apply to one tariff line.

In such cases, the tariff suffix can be used to report the individual duties and their product description.

The averaging method is recorded on the "parent" tariff line (tariff suffix "00") and indicated whether the duty is a simple average of the "members (tariff suffix 01-99), a trade-weighted average of duties (code "W") or another method (code "O")". The later code is used when there is a mixture of ad valorem and non-ad valorem duties under the member lines or when all duties are non-ad valorem.  

Example (n.a. = not available):

 

Tariff line - Suffix	Type of duty	Duty	Averaging method	Line counted in simple average calculation?
01010110 - 00	Bound	5	S	No
01010110 - 01	Bound	10		Yes
01010110 - 02	Bound	0		Yes
01010119 - 00	Bound	n.a.	O	No, counted under n.a.
01010119 - 01	Bound	10		No
01010119 - 02	Bound	5$ per kilo		No
91011101 - 00	Bound	3.45	W	Yes
91011101 - 01	Bound	10% on the case and 5 % on the strap		No
91011101 - 02	Bound	5% on the case and 3 % on the strap		No
91011101 - 03	Bound	0		No

In practice, Members do not provide weighted averages in their IDB submissions.  Nevertheless, there were a few such cases of base duties provided for the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations.

Amount of duty collected for a particular product and period. Usually used as a guideline to assess the comparability of concessions among countries. Duty collected is not recorded in the IDB but the estimated duty collected is calculated in some IDB reports.

The currency unit used in specific, mixed, compound or other duty rates incorporating a specific rate element. This should be specified in IDB submissions.

A unilateral non-application of a customs duty, or its application at a reduced level, usually on a temporary basis.   

Source: http://www.asycuda.org/cuglossa.asp?firstlet=D&submit1=BrowseType your drop-down text here.