Little progress has been made on the tariff reduction formula.

Improving market access involved not only tariff reduction but also relaxation of non tariff barriers and rules of origin.

The Doha Ministerial Declaration (DMD) called for the reduction or, as appropriate, elimination of tariff and non tariff barriers to EGS.

Meanwhile, with the reduction of general tariff level, especially the import tariff reduction of medicine and consumer goods, the taxable items and tax rate for import tax on imported goods would be reduced accordingly.

Finally, subparagraph 31(iii) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration deals with the reduction or, as appropriate, elimination of tariff and non tariff barriers to environmental goods and services.

With the reduction in tariffs, non tariff barriers are increasingly becoming front stage market access concerns.

With the reduction in tariffs, non tariff barriers are increasingly becoming front stage market access concerns.

7 The Uruguay Round formula consists of an across the board average tariff reduction of x per cent subject to a minimum reduction of y per cent.

(j) In accordance with paragraph 16 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, on market access for non agricultural products, reduction or elimination of high tariffs, tariff peaks and tariff escalation, as well as non tariff barriers, on those products, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries

WTO has given prominence to the potential for further reduction of tariff barriers to foster an expansion in South South trade.

For NAMA, a development oriented tariff reduction formula suited to developing countries and their ability to offer and sustain concessions was needed.

4. Recognizes that the substantial improvement of market access for exports of goods and services from developing countries through, inter alia, the reduction or removal of tariff and non tariff barriers should be assigned high priority in multilateral trade negotiations

Developing countries would have recourse to the special safeguard mechanism to address unforeseen events arising from possible import surges as a result of tariff reduction.

Relevant person in charge of Customs Tariff Commissions Office of the State Council introduced that the above four times initiative tax reduction and the third step tax reduction implemented on this year s July 1 in accordance with the results of the expansion of the information technology agreement negotiation will result in the overall tariff level fell from last year s 9.8 to 7.5 .

Regional economic integration initiatives usually focus on trade liberalization, tariff reduction and quota abolition. However, trade facilitation issues too have received increased attention in recent years.

Among the specific areas mentioned were preferential market access transfer of technology and capacity flexibilities for small economies to use subsidies and lower tariff reduction commitments.

As a result of successive rounds of multilateral trade negotiations, as well as regional trade agreements and autonomous tariff reduction initiatives, tariffs are continuously being lowered.

The issue has been controversial, as agriculture exporting developing countries hold the view that addressing preference erosion might impede efforts aimed at most favoured nation tariff reduction.

Developing countries that have been enjoying non reciprocal preferential market access have called for adequately addressing the erosion of preferences arising from the most favoured nation tariff reduction.

The decisions relating to the improvements in market access for non agricultural products adopted at the Doha Ministerial Conference, inter alia, state that the negotiations in this area shall aim to reduce and, as appropriate, to eliminate tariffs, including through the reduction or elimination of tariff peaks, high tariffs, tariff escalation, and non tariff barriers, in particular those relating to products of export interest to developing countries.

In cases where export goods, to which export tariff rates are applicable are subject to temporary tariff rate, the temporary tariff rate shall apply.

Non Tariff Barriers

In cases where imported goods, to which contractual tariff rate or preferential tariff rate is applicable are subject to temporary rate, the lower tariff rate shall apply.

Formulas for tariff cutting under NAMA should be determined expeditiously so as to drastically reduce tariff peaks and tariff escalations, with adequate SDT made available to developing countries.

Figure 14 Average tariff

The need for facilitation has increased during the last decade because of trends in international manufacturing, improved market access through tariff reduction, the new geography of trade, and the introduction of ICT.

(a) Substantial reductions of tariffs, the rolling back of tariff peaks and the removal of tariff escalation

Tariff headings, tariff lines and tariff rates specified in the Customs Import and Export Tariff of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Customs Tariffs ) and Table of Tariff Rates of Import Duties of the People's Republic of China of Entry Articles (hereinafter referred to as the Table of Tariff Rates of Import Duties of Entry Articles) drafted by the State Council are an integral part of this set of regulations.

Tariff reduction is also expected to lead to the loss of some flexibility to use trade policy instruments for industrial development, diversification into new and dynamic sectors and participation in the global value chains.

However, more work is needed to find or create the appropriate tariff headings and to address non tariff barriers.

Nevertheless, scope remains for the liberalization and rationalization of tariffs in non agricultural goods, particularly for the removal of tariff bias, tariff escalation and tariff peaks affecting developing country exports in their major markets.

The agricultural sector is protected through high tariffs, tariff picks, tariff escalation and non tariff barriers in many developed countries, and market access is often denied to products from developing countries, including landlocked developing countries.

In this regard it is urgent to eliminate high tariffs, tariff picks, tariff escalation, non tariff barriers, export subsidies and to substantially reduce trade distorting domestic support for protecting the agricultural sector of developed countries.

If we go by the most widely used six digit tariff lines, Bangladesh exported 409 tariff lines to the US in 2004, from which it earned about 2.3 billion. But its top 12 tariff lines 3 of all tariff lines accounted for 59.7 of the total value of its exports to the US.

Their exports today face a variety of barriers in their major markets, including non tariff trade barriers and other non tariff measures.

Countries, like Thailand, that felt that they could handle the finances on their own asked that assistance be directed to others. They did ask one thing a reduction of tariff barriers and greater access to markets abroad.

Other issues discussed with regard to the market access pillar include how to treat, in the tariff reduction, sensitive products and particular aspects of special and differential treatment, such as special products and the special safeguard mechanism.

and Development Impacts of Non Tariff Barriers

We call for better access to markets, in particular preferential markets with lowered tariff and non tariff barriers to trade with industrialized countries.

Our country will reduce the MFN tariff rate for some goods from November 1, and the general tariff level will be reduced to 7.5 .

Proper tariff reduction would be beneficial to accelerating the balanced development of foreign trade, promoting the higher level opening to the outside world, overall planning and using the international and domestic resources, and boosting the domestic supply side structural reform.

Export duties are in the form of export tariff rate, and temporary tariff rate may be applied to export goods within a specified period of time.

Extensive negotiations are expected on the number of tariff bands, the criteria for setting such tariff bands and the modalities for reducing tariffs in each band.

In order to implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, our country had implemented the zero tariff on most imported drugs since May 1 this year, had reduced the import tariff for automobiles and parts and some consumer goods since July 1, and had implemented the third step of tax reduction for products in the extended scope of Information Technology Agreement.

Furthermore, as was specified in the July package , LDCs should not be required to undertake any tariff reduction commitments as in NAMA and should benefit from the principle of non reciprocity and not be required to engage in trade offs in the negotiations.