The Structure of Import Tariffs in Russia : 2001-2003
What is the structure of the Most-Favored Nation (MFN) tariff of Russia? How has it been changing over time? What are the sectors in which tariffs are high or low? How diverse is the tariff structure of Russia? Surprisingly, these questions have no...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/751091484047916649/The-structure-of-import-tariffs-in-Russia-2001-2003 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25930 |
| Summary: | What is the structure of the
Most-Favored Nation (MFN) tariff of Russia? How has it been
changing over time? What are the sectors in which tariffs
are high or low? How diverse is the tariff structure of
Russia? Surprisingly, these questions have not been answered
to date due to a lack of data that would allow calculation
of the ad valorem equivalents of the specific Russian
tariffs. The authors have obtained a new data set that they
describe in this book. As a result of these new data, the
authors are able to calculate the ad valorem equivalents of
the specific tariffs. This allows them to provide the first
detailed and accurate assessment of the tariff structure of
Russia. The authors are able to assess, for the years
2001-2003, the actual number of tariff lines in which
specific tariffs apply, what are the tariff lines with the
highest tariffs, and investigate many other properties of
the Russian tariff structure for the first time. This book
is arranged as follows: In section two the authors discuss
the key results. The authors calculate average tariffs and
standard deviations based on an unweighted basis and also an
import trade weighted basis. In section three the authors
discuss the data set. The authors discuss methodology in
section IV. The key results are presented in tables 1-8. The
authors have a one-page note on technical details in the
calculations following the tables. In Appendix A the authors
present tables with more detailed results, namely of 2-digit
industry calculations and the tariff lines with tariff rates
above 50 percent. In appendix B, the authors provide a
second set of parallel tables called Estimated collected
tariff rates. These tables reflect the fact that imports
from CIS countries enter tariff free with some notable
exceptions, so the collected tariff rate is lower than the
MFN rate. As the authors discuss the results, they evaluate
the trends in the tariff structure based on the view,
elaborated by Tarr (2002), that low and uniform tariffs are
preferable to high and diverse tariffs. This paper is
methodological and descriptive, so the reader interested in
a discussion of tariff policy should consult Tarr (2002). |
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