GENERAL AGREEMENT O N

TARIFFS AND TRADE

Working Group on the Tariff Study

SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES TO BASIC DOCUMENTATION FOR THE TARIFF STUDY

Table of Contents

Explanatory notes

Table A - Tariff averages and most-favoured-nation and preferential imports, all industrial products, raw materials, semi-finished manufactures and finished manufactures

Table B - Tariff averages and most-favoured-nation and preferential imports by product categories

Table C - Frequency distribution of tariff lines and most-favoured-nation imports according to the level of duty, all industrial products, raw materials, semi-finished manufactures and finished manufactures

Table D - Frequency distribution of tariff lines and most-favoured-nation imports according to the level of duty, by industrial product categories

Table E - Grouping of product categories according to the difference between the highest and the lowest

- 1. national average - 2. national tariff line

Table F - Value of imports and level of duties on BTN headings where developing countries are important suppliers

Table G - Simple tariff averages for BTN headings where the weighted average is zero

Table H - Simple tariff averages for BTN headings duty free in most of the tariffs

RESTRICTED

Spec(71)35 13 May 1971

Spec(71)35 Pago 2

Table of Contents (cont'd)

Table I - Ranking of tariff averages and nost-favoured-nation inports

- 23 product categories - 119 product categories and sub-categories

Table J - Regression coefficients - imports vs. average duty, all industrial products at the detail of

- 23 product categories

- 119 product categories and sub-categories

Table K - Status of bindings under the General Agreement

- 23 product categories - 119 product categories and sub-categories

Spec(71)35 Page 3

Explanatory Notes

The attached tables are based on the sane data as those underlying the Basic Documentation for the Tariff Study. Summary Table Nos, 1-3. (Geneva, July 1970). The general notes published therein are also applicable to the present tables. However, since the publication of the three Summary Tables, the following adjust­ments and corrections were made:

(i) the Austrian file was revised entirely and new tariff averages and frequency distributions were calculated for all product categories;

(ii) trade among the six countries members of the European Communities was excluded from the import totals-̂ -;

(iii) Canada was added to the "world" total in all series where breakdown of imports by provenance is not required; the total was also adjusted to take into account the revisions of Austrian data;

(iv) errors and omissions which have been identified in the Summary Tables were corrected in the new series. In addition, BTN heading 71.07 was excluded from category 07.02, precious metals, unwbrked or semi­manufactured, and from the larger aggregates, as monetary gold, included in trade returns of some countries and excluded in others, is a disturbing element under this heading and its exclusion improves comparability among countries.

The documentation will be further completed and the "world" totals adjusted as soon as the processing of the tariff files for Australia and New Zealand as well as that of the Canadian detailed trade data is finished.

Tables A-E summarize information published for the twenty-three industrial product categories in Summary Table No. 2, Tables F-H resume and complete certain data by BTN headings in Summary Table No. 1. The content and format of these tables was agreed by the Working Group on the Tariff Study at its last meeting.

Tables I, J and K were discussed but not approved by the Working Group; they are submitted as working documents for the information of the Working Group.

It has, however, boon retained in the "world" trade pattern used in calculation of tariff averages Nos. 2 and 4..

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Average duty rates and most-favoured-nation and preferential imports into each of the countries included in the study are summarized in Table A for all products in BTN chapters 25-99. The table shows for each of the countries or areas studied and for all the countries combined four tariff averages - one simple (No. l), two weighted by "world" trade (Nos. 2 and U) and one weighted by each country's own most-favoured-nation imports (No. 3) - and value (in million dollars) of most-favoured-nation and of preferential importsj in both cases supplies from developed and from developing countries are reported separately. For the EFTA countries, supplies from other members of the area are included in the preferential total, whereas for the European Communities intra-EEC trade is excluded. The method of calculation of the four tariff averages and further explanations concerning the trade figures can be found in the Explanatory Notes to Summary Table No. 2, Basic Documentation for the Tariff Study.

In addition to all industrial products combined, the table shows tariff averages and import totals for raw materials, semi-manufactures and finished manufactures. The list of BTN headings allocated to each of these three broad product classes is given in the appendix. It should be noted that no definition of product classes according to stage of processing can be wholly unambiguous as in a number of borderline cases the allocation is more or less arbitrary. As the purpose of this table is to illustrate in global terms the tariff structure of the product classes at different processing stages, an arbitrary allocation of such borderline cases into one or another class should not significantly distort the overall results. The allocation scheme should not, however, be considered as a classification system applicable for other purposes.

The tariff averages and the most-favoured-nation imports were calculated both in respect of all tariff items (first part of the table) and in respect of dutiable items only (second part of the table).

Average duty rates and value (in thousand dollars) of most-favoured-nation and of preferential imports by product categories distinguished in Summary Table No. 2 of the Basic Documentation for the Tariff Study are reported in Table B. Except for the revision and adjustments already mentioned, the figures are the same as in Summary Table No. 2.

Frequency distribution of tariff lines and the corresponding most-favoured­nation imports according to the level of duty is indicated in Table C for all industrial products combined and for the three classes by stages of processing.

For each product class, the data are shown on two pages. On the first page, imports in million dollars and share of the various areas in percentages is reported together with a frequency distribution of tariff lines and most-favoured­nation imports (in percentages according to the level of duties). For each

Spec(71)35 Pcge 5

country and for the "world" the first column refers to the number of tariff lines (NB.L.) and the second to the value of imports (IMP) in million dollars.

The first line (VAL.INTRA AR) shovrs for the European Communities the value of intra-EEG trade and, for the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Austria, imports from other EFTA countries. The second line indicates the total value of imports of the product category excluding, however, the intra-regional trade of the EEC and of the EFTA countries (VAL.EX.INTRA). The percentage shares of supplies from developed countries (o/o DDC) and from developing countries (o/o DGC) as well as the share of preferential (o/o PREF.) and of most-favoured-nation imports (o/o MFN) shown on the following lines were calculated in relation to the total import value (excluding intra-area) shown above.

The line labelled VALUE MFN shows total number of tariff lines (NB.L. in the column heading)and value of most-favoured-nation imports (column heading labelled IMP). The share of supplies from developed and from developing countries as well as the proportion of duty free (o/o FREE) and of dutiable (o/o DUTIABLE) tariff lines and imports reported below was calculated on the basis of the most-favoured­nation total above. The last part of the first page shows the proportion of tariff lines and of the corresponding imports subject to duties falling within the range indicated on the left. Thus the first of these lines shows the propor­tion of tariff lines' and of imports subject to duties from 0.1 to 1 per cent ad valorem; the second refers to those subject to duties between 1.1 and 2; the third tu those within the range of 2.1 and 3 etc., all figures in percentages calculated in relation to the nost-favoured-nation total already referred to.

The second part of the table, printed on the other page,shows the same frequency distribution in cumulative terms. Imports shown at each duty level on the first line are further broken down according to area of provenance (developed countries combined - DDC and developing countries combined - DGC). Thus the line "FREE" repeats the corresponding figures shown in the upper part of the table, followed by indications of the share of duty-free supplies from developed and from developing countries in relation to total most-favoured-nation imports; the line "- 1.0" shows the proportion of duty rates and of imports (from all provenances, from DDC and from DGC) duty free and subject to duties up to 1 per cent etc.

The respective shares of imports from all provenances in the "world" column include Canada whereas those relating to supplies from developed and from developing countries exclude Canada.

The same information in respect of the 119 product categories and sub­categories is shown in Table D. In view of the Mgh cost involved in printing this table, only five product categories have been tabulated at this stage.

L

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A complete version of this table, including all product categories and data for Australia and New Zealand, will be produced at a later stage.

The range of national tariff averages in different product categories can be compared in Table E. The interval (in percentage points) in which the difference between the highest and the lowest national tariff averages may be found xs indicated xn column headings under which the code number of the category concerned is printed. The description of the category may be found in Table B or Summary Table No. 2 of the Basic Documentation for the Tariff Study. The tabulation has been undertaken separately for each type of tariff average distinguished, first in respect of the twenty-three product categories and, second, for the 119 categories and sub-categories.

In the second part of the table, categories are classified according to the difference between the highest and the lowest duty rate in the product category or sub-category.

Table F shows BTN headings in chapters 25-99 in which supplies (preferential and most-favoured-nation combined) from developing countries account for at least 20 per cent of the value of imports of the fifteen countries taken together. For each of those headings, the table repeats the information included in Summary Table No. 1 of the Basic Documentation for the Tariff Study, i.e. the value of imports from countries enjoying preferential treatment and from most-favoured­nation origins, the number of tariff lines duty free and dutiable, the tariff averages calculated on all tariff lines and on dutiable lines only, and the duty range. Furthermore, for BTN headings which include more than ten national tariff lines the duty rate corresponding to the first and the third quartile and the corresponding proportion of most-favoured-nation imports from all provenances and from developing countries is given.

BTN headings for which the weighted tariff average is nil and the simple tariff average positive may be identified from Table G, which shows in each such case the corresponding simple average rate calculated on all (i.e. dutiable and duty-free) items.

BTN headings which are duty free in the majority of the eleven tariffs studied so far are listed in Table H. For each of such headings the table shows the simple tariff average calculated on all items.

Table I: To aid in the examination of a possible relationship between trade and tariff levels, tariff averages for the product categories and sub-categories distinguished in Summary Table No. 2 of the Basic Documentation were arrayed in descending order and compared with their corresponding levels of trade. The first part of the table shows the twenty-three product categories in descending order according to the value of "world" imports. In the second part of the table the

à

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sane ranking is given in respect of the 119 categories and sub-categories. The country ranking of categories is in decreasing order of trade and in increasing order of tariff averages. The import values are in million dollars and the percentage figure under :.iost-favoured-nation iaports refers to the share of the category in the country's most-favoured-nation imports of all industrial products.

Table J; Shows the regression and correlation coefficients between the tariff averages and the share of each category in the country's most-favoured­nation imports of all industrial products as shown in Table I.

Table K; Summarizes for each country information on the status of duties under the General Agreement. The table gives the proportion of tariff lines bound under the General Agreement and of the corresponding most-favoured-natidn imports for the twenty-three product categories and for their total as well as for the 119 product categories and sub-categories. As partial bindings cannot be accurately assessed, two figures are given in each case, the first excluding and the second including tariff lines with partial bindings.

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AVRG.-MOY SIMP. WEIGHT

DDC

DGC

DUT

ETA

FREE

IMP

MFN

NA

NB.L.

PREF

o/o

TOT

VAL.INTRA AR

VAL.EX.INTRA

WORLD

SYMBOLS AMD ABBREVIATIONS/ SYMBOLES ET ABREVIATIONS

Tariff average/Moyenne tarifaire Simple/Simple Weighted/Pondérée

Developed countries/Pays développés

Developing countries/Pays en voie de développement

Dutiable items/Positions imposables

Eastern trading area/Pays de l'Est

Duty free/Exempt de droit

Imports/importations

Most-favoured-nation/Nation la plus favorisée

Not available/Non disponible

Number of tariff lines/Nombre des lignes tarifaires

Preferential/Préférentiel

Percentage/Pourcentage

Total/Total

Value of intra-area trade/Valeur des échanges intrarégionaux

Value of total imports excluding intra-area trade/Valeur des importations totales échanges intrarégionaux non compris

Total of countries included Total des pays inclus

à

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EEC

US

CANADA

JAPAN

UK

SWEDEN

DENMARK

NORWAY

FINLAND

SWITZERLAND

AUSTRIA

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES/COMMUNAUTES EUROPEENNES

UNITED STATES/ETATS UNIS

CANADA

JAPON

UNITED KINGDOM/ROÏAUME-UNI

SUEDE

DANEMARK

NORVEGE

FINLANDE

SUISSE

AUTRICHE