The Structure of Import Tariffs in Russia : 2001-2003

Tarr, David ; Shepotylo, Oleksandr ; Koudoyarov, Timour

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: TRADE;    TARIFF;    INDUSTRY;    IMPORT;    EXPORT;   

RP-ID  :  111787

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

What is the structure of theMost-Favored Nation (MFN) tariff of Russia? How has it beenchanging over time? What are the sectors in which tariffsare high or low? How diverse is the tariff structure ofRussia? Surprisingly, these questions have not been answeredto date due to a lack of data that would allow calculationof the ad valoremequivalents of the specific Russiantariffs. The authors have obtained a new data set that theydescribe in this book. As a result of these new data, theauthors are able to calculate the ad valorem equivalents ofthe specific tariffs. This allows them to provide the firstdetailed and accurate assessment of the tariff structure ofRussia. The authors are able to assess, for the years2001-2003, the actual number of tariff lines in whichspecific tariffs apply, what are the tariff lines with thehighest tariffs, and investigate many other properties ofthe Russian tariff structure for the first time. This bookis arranged as follows: In section two the authors discussthe key results. The authors calculate average tariffs andstandard deviations based on an unweighted basis and also animport trade weighted basis. In section three the authorsdiscuss the data set. The authors discuss methodology insection IV. The key results are presented in tables 1-8. Theauthors have a one-page note on technical details in thecalculations following the tables. In Appendix A the authorspresent tables with more detailed results, namely of 2-digitindustry calculations and the tariff lines with tariff ratesabove 50 percent. In appendix B, the authors provide asecond set of parallel tables called Estimated collectedtariff rates. These tables reflect the fact that importsfrom CIS countries enter tariff free with some notableexceptions, so the collected tariff rate is lower than theMFN rate. As the authors discuss the results, they evaluatethe trends in the tariff structure based on the view,elaborated by Tarr (2002), that low and uniform tariffs arepreferable to high and diverse tariffs. This paper ismethodological and descriptive, so the reader interested ina discussion of tariff policy should consult Tarr (2002).