3 ms·
"Multilateral tariffs are the only real pressure" IT products are already zero tariff per the "Information Technology Agreement" https://www.wto.org/english/t
by fspeech 9y ago
"Multilateral tariffs are the only real pressure"
IT products are already zero tariff per the "Information Technology Agreement"
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/inftec_e/inftec_e.htm https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/inftec_e/inftec_e.htm
- ethbro 9y ago* Covered IT products Under the expansion, additional categories will be covered. Here's a chart of current MFN tariffs imposed by countries under the agreement on expansion categories. https://www.wto.org/images/img_tratop/brienitachart4_e.png https://www.wto.org/images/img_tratop/brienitachart4_e.png Note any outliers? Without digging through the legalese, it would seem the US could triple import tariffs on a large swath of IT products and still be on par with what China's charging. I can't imagine the WTO would look too favorably on a case from China if the US simply pegged reciprocal tariffs at an equal rate.
- fspeech 9y agoWhat does the word MFN stand for? Of course US is entitled to setting tariffs at the level it sees fit.
- philipkglass 9y agoMFN in this context means most favored nation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_favoured_nation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_favoured_nation
- fspeech 9y agoSorry if I didn't make clear that the question was rhetoric. Thanks for your effort linking to a good explanation. I hope that answers the question of why it is not legally viable to use tariff to create pressure unless it is through WTO compliant cases.
- ethbro 9y agoSo ammend NATO to add a trade component, then boost tariffs. NAFTA is already excluded from MFN as far as I know, so it's not without precedent.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]