The most common used trade barrier is the tariff. Merriam-Webster (2015), defines tariff as “a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country.” This is set by the government and the motives behind the tax can be either economic or political in nature. The tax can be based on the quantity of a product, the price/or by the value of the product (ad valorem), or a mix of the two. They increase the price of products for the end user. The tariffs levied against one country causes that country to induce tariffs on the other country. Tariffs make more tariffs. They also deteriorate relationships between trading nations. They can also limit the selections of products available to the end user.
There are three types of international tariffs, most favored nation (MFN), bound tariff (BND), and effectively applied tariffs (AHS). The MFN is when one country trades within their allied group and they treat the beneficiary of the trade the same way that they would treat their most favored ally. The goal is to treat them all the same, that way the concept of fairness within the coalition will help retain cohesiveness. A bound tariff is when a country places a maximum amount or percentage on the tariff of a particular good. It is akin to making a promise about their product never
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These measures can directly influence the price of goods by complicated or drawn out customs proceedings, valuation of goods, or unreasonable import standards. Quotas are defined in a book by Cateora (2013) as “a specific unit or dollar limit applied to a particular type of good.”(P. 38) The quota may have a tariff attached to it. It depends on the agreement between the countries. Import licenses work in the same capacity in that they limit the amount of imported product for a fixed amount of time/ case-by-case
Trade is the most common form of transferring ownership of a product. The concepts are very simple, I give you something (a good or service) and you give me something (a good or service) in return, everyone is happy. However, trade is not limited to two individuals. There are trades that happen outside national borders and we refer to that as international trading. Before a country does international trading, they do research to understand the opportunity costs and marginal costs of their production versus another countries production. Doing this we can increase profit, decrease costs and improve overall trade efficiency. Currently, there are negotiations going on between 11 countries about making a trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific
Trading internationally, along with foreign trading policies has always been a controversial issue in America. Free trade is just as taboo if not more so. Today, the United States has made an attempt to maintain an open market of trading. Free trading greatly benefits a nation’s economy. The history of trade in The United States dates back over half a century ago. Through a substantial part of history, the United States had implemented rather extensive barriers and restrictions regarding importation, in order to better protect domestic suppliers from any serious foreign rivalry. Regardless, of Government restrictions and barriers set in place to avoid foreign competition it is healthy for our nation to have motivation and have the desire to
With so much focus on the positive elements of free trade, the negative aspects of an open system are often overlooked. However, they do exist, and protectionism is needed. Consequently, safeguards are built into the system. States look out for their own good, whether that is through the use of escape clauses or the choice of the optimal forum for dispute settlement based on the precedent they do or do not want set. This paper argues that protectionism is valuable and inherent in the current system; however, not enough. Powerful states exploit weaker states, and “free trade” exacerbates the problem. I will first discuss why free trade does not work. Then, I will explain how the current system enables the inherent protectionist attitude of states. Finally, I will analyze the fairness of the system.
On the other hand, the UK can set its own MFN tariffs on imports. The UK could adopt to reduce its import tariffs below the levels of EU in order to lower import costs for UK consumers and companies. This will result on increasing the competition played by businesses run in the UK (Sampson, Dhingra and Sampson, 2017). In addition, the same article, states that there is a limited scope for further tariff decreases. According to the World Bank, the tariff rate of the EU (applied and weighted mean for all products) is 1.5% (Word Bank, 2017). Also, if UK goes for this it will require more harmonising polices, regulations or product standards across countries. Achieving this level of business requires international agreements with different countries. The overall effect of Brexit is still estimated to be negative (Dhingra and Sampson, 2017 4-5). These circumstances make it very difficult for the UK to reduce tariff rates, yet
While free trade has certainly changed with advances in technology and the ability to create external economies, the concept seems to be the most benign way for countries to trade with one another. Factoring in that imperfect competition and increasing returns challenge the concept of comparative advantage in modern international trade markets, the resulting introduction of government policies to regulate trade seems to result in increased tensions between countries as individual nations seek to gain advantages at the cost of others. While classical trade optimism may be somewhat naïve, the alternatives are risky and potentially harmful.
In realising that foreign investments are the key source of the nation’s economic rise, the Chinese government has given special preferences to foreign investors (Financial Express, 2006). This is mostly done through reduction of most favoured nation (MFN) tariff rate. In India, on the other hand, fair competition exists between domestic and foreign investors. Although the Indian government states that it aims to reduce its MFN tariff rate, which currently doubles the rate in China, to other ASEAN country levels, it is in reality a big challenge because a large portion of the nation’s tax revenue comes from customs tariffs (Henley, 2004).
The political force moved away from the painstakingly and time-consuming technique of multilateral tariff negotiations to smaller regional and bilateral provisions - the Regional Trade Agreement. In these arrangements; members accord preferential treatment , basically agreeing to liberalize the exchange of goods and services amongst each another giving regard to certain trade barriers. RTA is not the first-hand way of trade liberalization though. Initially, when multilateral trade discussions used to happen, two-sided and multiparty FTA”s filled the vacuum. There were restrictions from stringent and premeditated trade arrangements earlier, thus a lot of states are now moving towards freer trade for their own benefits.
6- Salem, M. (2012, August 20). Free trade barriers: Weapons used against undeveloped and poor nations. Retrieved from http://www.buddhasemptyplace.com/2012/08/20/free-trade-barriers-weapons-used-against-undeveloped-and-poor-nations/
Economic risks faced by companies that want to expand their business globally are exchange controls, local content laws, import restrictions, tax controls, price controls, and labor problems (Cateora, Gilly & Graham, 2011). These risks can be just as harmful, in some cases, as the political risks faced. As implied by its title, import restrictions are limitations placed on certain goods being shipped in from another country. “There are especially tight import restrictions on goods with a potential to be hazardous” (Dugger, 2016). Many restrictions are placed on imports in order to protect and promote the domestic market within the host country. Tax controls are put into place primarily to generate revenue and operating funds. Unfortunately, many companies that attempt to expand their business overseas experience unreasonably high taxes. Elevated tax rates can also be seen as a form of protectionism in efforts to deter threatening foreign companies from entering their market, thus allowing domestic companies to
We all know that each nation has a unique set of barriers; these could be institutional, trade, political or international. Countries must control these barriers to be successful globally.
Firstly, what should be noted here is that international trade has been providing different benefits for firms as they may expand in different new markets and raise productivity by adopting different approaches. Given that nowadays marketplace is more dynamic and characterized by an interdependent economy, the volume of international trade has grown substantially in recent years, reducing the barriers to international trade. However, after experiencing the economic crisis that took its toll in 2008 many countries adopted a different approach in terms of trade barriers by introducing higher tariffs in order to protect domestic firms from foreign competition (Hill). Secondly, in order to better understand the implications of the political arguments for trade it is essential to highlight the main instruments of trade policy (See appendix 1).
Krugman, P.R. (1987) Is free trade passé? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 1(2), 131-144. Retrieved from http://dipeco.economia.unimib.it/Persone/Gilli/food%20for%20thinking/simple%20general%20readings%20on%20economics/Is%20Free%20Trade%20Passe.pdf
Globalisation has been one of the most significant developments of the last half century, and issues such as trade and international commerce have become increasingly important. In consequence, problems such as poverty, unfair wages and poor working conditions in third world countries have been drawn to the attention of consumers (Hayes and Moore, 2007). This is a growing global issue which cannot be ignored by anyone concerned about the problems in developing countries. Free trade and Fair Trade have both been offered as solutions to these issues.
International organizations create space for its members to coordinate interests and actions which helps promote interdependent relationships among them and strengthens their legitimacy. As society has progressed, it has globalized, and in the past 50 years states have had to address their growing dependence, especially in the economic sector. The World Trade Organization (WTO), is an institution which has an immense impact on the international political economy and the way states function within the international system. It organizes agreements and treaties which govern how its members decide policies, tariffs, and keeps states accountable for their actions. For example, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), determines how states can regulate their import and exports. (Hurd 2014,
International trade is an economic practice where countries can import and export goods with no concerns to government intervention which includes tariffs and import/export bans or limitations. International trade has several advantages on developing countries; who are nations with low levels of economic resources or low standard of living. Developing countries can advance their economy through strategic free trade agreements. Free trade generally improves the quality of life of poor nations. Nations can import goods that are not easily available within their borders; importing goods may be cheaper for than trying to produce consumer goods. Many developing nations do not have the production procedures available for translating raw materials into valuable goods.