Bangladesh Tariff Commission

Last updated

Bangladesh Tariff Commission
Formation28 July 1973
Headquarters Dhaka, Bangladesh
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali
Chairman
Mahfuza Akter
Website www.btc.gov.bd

Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC) [1] autonomous national statutory body that is responsible for placing tariffs on imports, protection of domestic industry, and the prevention of dumping of foreign goods in Bangladesh and is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. [2] [3] Chairman of the Bangladesh Tariff Commission is Mahfuza Akter.

Contents

History

Bangladesh Tariff Commission traces its origin to the East Pakistan branch of Pakistan Tariff Commission, the commission was established on 28 July 1973. The commission is responsible for protection of domestic industry and regulation of import. [2] [4] The commission is weak according to its own commissioner. [5] In 2007 it was accused by Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry of failing to stop the dumping of sugar Indian exporters. [6]

Activities

The main task of the Bangladesh Tariff Commission is to protect the interests of domestic industries. The Company provides necessary assistance to the Government in negotiating and implementing international, bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements. Under the terms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the commission works to protect, develop and expand local industries. Assisting the government in formulating working approaches for duty-free access to Bangladeshi goods at international level and free access to human resources. According to the application of the industrial organization or organization, the commission made recommendations on the analysis of production cost of the product, import of raw materials, cost of finished product, manpower, production capacity, value addition, quality of the product produced etc. The Commission uses a number of economic indicators to analyze the data. [7]

Related Research Articles

A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and policy that taxes foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry. Tariffs are among the most widely used instruments of protectionism, along with import and export quotas.

Fordney–McCumber Tariff Historical United States tariff

The Fordney–McCumber Tariff of 1922 was a law that raised American tariffs on many imported goods to protect factories and farms. The US Congress displayed a pro-business attitude in passing the tariff and in promoting foreign trade by providing huge loans to Europe. That, in turn, bought more US goods. However, five years after the passage of the tariff, American trading partners had raised their own tariffs by a significant degree. France raised its tariffs on automobiles from 45% to 100%, Spain raised its tariffs on American goods by 40%, and Germany and Italy raised their tariffs on wheat. According to the American Farm Bureau, farmers lost more than $300 million annually as a result of the tariff.

Free trade Absence of government restriction on international trade

Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold economic liberal positions, while economic nationalist and left-wing political parties generally support protectionism, the opposite of free trade.

Protectionism Economic policy of restraining trade between states through government regulations

Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. Proponents argue that protectionist policies shield the producers, businesses, and workers of the import-competing sector in the country from foreign competitors; however, they also reduce trade and adversely affect consumers in general, and harm the producers and workers in export sectors, both in the country implementing protectionist policies and in the countries protected against.

Dumping, in economics, is a kind of injuring pricing, especially in the context of international trade. It occurs when manufacturers export a product to another country at a price below the normal price with an injuring effect. The objective of dumping is to increase market share in a foreign market by driving out competition and thereby create a monopoly situation where the exporter will be able to unilaterally dictate price and quality of the product.

Export Good produced in one country that is sold into another country

An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an exporter; the foreign buyer is an importer. Services that figure in international trade include financial, accounting and other professional services, tourism, education as well as intellectual property rights.

Non-tariff barriers to trade Type of trade barriers

Non-tariff barriers to trade are trade barriers that restrict imports or exports of goods or services through mechanisms other than the simple imposition of tariffs.

Export subsidy Government policy to encourage export

Export subsidy is a government policy to encourage export of goods and discourage sale of goods on the domestic market through direct payments, low-cost loans, tax relief for exporters, or government-financed international advertising. An export subsidy reduces the price paid by foreign importers, which means domestic consumers pay more than foreign consumers. The World Trade Organization (WTO) prohibits most subsidies directly linked to the volume of exports, except for LDCs. Incentives are given by the government of a country to exporters to encourage export of goods.

The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is an international treaty of the World Trade Organization. It was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO on January 1, 1995.

Tariffs have historically served a key role in the trade policy of the United States. Their purpose was to generate revenue for the federal government and to allow for import substitution industrialization by acting as a protective barrier around infant industries. They also aimed to reduce the trade deficit and the pressure of foreign competition. Tariffs were one of the pillars of the American System that allowed the rapid development and industrialization of the United States. The United States pursued a protectionist policy from the beginning of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century. Between 1861 and 1933, they had one of the highest average tariff rates on manufactured imports in the world. However American agricultural and industrial were cheaper than rival products and the tariff had an impact primarily on wool products. After 1942 the U.S. promoted worldwide free trade.

Voluntary export restraint

A voluntary export restraint (VER) or voluntary export restriction is a measure by which the government or an industry in the importing country arranges with the government or the competing industry in the exporting country for a restriction on the volume of the latter's exports of one or more products.

Rules of origin Rules to attribute a country of origin to a product

Rules of origin are the rules to attribute a country of origin to a product in order to determine its "economic nationality". The need to establish rules of origin stems from the fact that the implementation of trade policy measures, such as tariffs, quotas, trade remedies, in various cases, depends on the country of origin of the product at hand.

China–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement Trade pact between Asian nations

The China–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement(CPFTA) is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that seeks to increase trade and strengthen the partnership between the two countries.

In 2012, South Africa imposed anti-dumping duties on Brazilian imports of frozen poultry products. Brazil brought its case to the World Trade Organization, and South Africa chose to impose a general tariff on chicken imports, rather than anti-dumping duties against Brazilian importers.

Protective tariffs are tariffs that are enacted with the aim of protecting a domestic industry. They aim to make imported goods cost more than equivalent goods produced domestically, thereby causing sales of domestically produced goods to rise; supporting local industry. Tariffs are also imposed in order to raise government revenue, or to reduce an undesirable activity. Although a tariff can simultaneously protect domestic industry and earn government revenue, the goals of protection and revenue maximization suggest different tariff rates, entailing a tradeoff between the two aims.

Afghanistan received membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, December 17, 2015. Afghanistan is 164th in the world and 36th among the less-developed countries that have received WTO membership.

Sugar industry Enterprises dealing with sugar

The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of sugars. Globally, most sugar is extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet.

A destination-based cash flow tax (DBCFT) is a form of border adjustment tax (BAT) that was proposed in the United States by the Republican Party in their 2016 policy paper "A Better Way — Our Vision for a Confident America", which promoted a move to the tax. It has been described by some sources as simply a form of import tariff, while others have argued that it has different consequences than those of a simple tariff.

Australian governments, both those of the colonies after the introduction of responsible government in the 1850s and the national government since federation in 1901, have had the power to fix and change tariff rates. This power resides in the respective legislatures, with tariffs, being a tax law, is required to originate in the lower house of the legislature.

The jute industry is a historically and culturally important industry in Bangladesh. Once one of the country's biggest industries and major export items, the jute industry has declined since the 1970s. Exports have fallen as other countries grow jute and other products like plastics and hemp find more widespread use. As of 2018, Bangladesh produces 33 percent of the total worldwide production of jute.

References

  1. "Transit fee too low". The Daily Star. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 Bala, Swapan Kumar. "Tariff Commission". Banglapedia. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  3. "Sugar should retail at Tk 55-56 a kg: official". The Daily Star. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  4. "Transit gets operational". The Daily Star. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  5. "Unfair trade goes unchecked". The Daily Star. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  6. "Indian exporters dump sugar: BSFIC official". The Daily Star. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  7. "Bangladesh Traiff commission". btc.gov.bd.