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How does
Tariff Analysis Online work?
Users ask Tariff Analysis Online some questions — the “queries” —
which produce some answers — the “reports”. The answers can be
viewed and manipulated online or downloaded and printed.
A query contains a set of selection criteria, which can be saved or
built on the fly. The options can be seen in the image below. Before
seeking an answer (a report), the user must choose either a
pre-built query or create a new one. The criteria comprise an import
market for a given year along with a group of products, which can be
one, several or all products defined under the Harmonized System’s
nomenclature and classification. Frequently-used products can also
be saved as a set. Queries and sets of products can therefore be
created, named and modified for re-use, or deleted if no longer
needed.
When you first enter the facility, you are presented with a choice
of available reports, which can be about applied duties and trade
data, or bound commitments:
Click on <Make selection> (or on any report) and you
will be prompted to select a market and year, or you can use a saved
query. The default for product selection is All products. To
select individual products, click on Uncheck all and then
select the desired products. The product tree can be expanded to a
greater level of detail by clicking on the cross to the left of the
product. More information on selecting products can be found below.
Click on <Continue> to return to the report list (or to
compile the report previously selected). <Continue> will
always bring you back to the page previously displayed. <Additional
criteria> will bring you to the extended selection panels where
you can apply tariff and trade criteria to your query and/or save
your query along with the selected products for further use. <Report
list> will take you to the report page.
If you use this basic selection to change the reporting country
after having compiled a report, your selected products will remain
unchanged, unless the year selected is in a different nomenclature
than that previously selected (the Harmonized System’s code numbers
are updated periodically and countries apply the updates to their
own tariffs and trade shortly afterwards). In that case, the default
of “All products” will be applied and you will need to redo your
product selection.
Functions and features
This is the menu on the left of the window, with explanations of the
available choices:
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“Reports” Click directly on <Reports> to view
the report page or expand the selection to bound or applied (tariffs)
and the available reports. Click on a report to compile it. You will be
prompted to create a new query or select an existing one. |
When viewing any report, two functions are available at the top
right of the window — <Download Data> and <View in PDF>.
The download function allows you to export the report data in Excel,
XML, or text format. The PDF format can be used for printing the
report.
“Queries” Click directly on
<Queries> to view or edit saved queries. Expand the query
button (New IDB query or New CTS query) to create a new query. (IDB
queries produce reports on applied tariffs and imports from the
Integrated Database. CTS queries produce reports on members’
commitments from the Consolidated Tariff Schedules database.)
“Product groups” Click on
this button to view, create or modify the product groups you want to
use in your query.
“Download data” Click on <Download
data> to export the replies of your queries — ie the report data
— to a file. Choose a report, the file type for the data you are
exporting (ie, Excel, XML or text) and enter a file name for your
exported data. Then click the <Export> button on the top
right of the window. Click the <Refresh> button to see the
status of your download. Click on the file name or the
download icon to download the file to your computer.
“Printable view” Printable
view allows you to view or print any window in portrait PDF format
without showing the menu bars on the left hand side of the window.
You can use the browser’s Back and Forward buttons to
navigate when in printable view. Click on <Full navigation>
to return to the normal format.
Query management
Queries can be managed in the <Extended query> option. At the top of
the window, enter a name for the query and optionally a description.
 You
need to select at least a reporting country and products. Then click
on <Save Query>. If you are changing a previously saved query
you can use <Save as Copy> to save under a new name with any
changes made to the original query.
Product groups
There
are two ways to work with product groups. The first is to click on <Product
Groups> on the left side of the window. A list of the saved
product groups will be presented. Click on the pencil (“Edit”
icon) on the left to view or edit a product group. Or click on <Create
New Product Group> on the left to create a new one.
The second is to click on the Selected Products tab in the <Extended
query> option. To create a new product group, select <<New
product group>> from the dropdown list and enter a Group Name
for the products. Click on the check box to the left of the
product to add the product to the panel below. Uncheck a product to
remove it. Click on the <Save Query> button to save the query
and the product group. If the product group is not saved, it can
still be used to compile reports.
To create a new product group, select <<New product group>>
from the dropdown list and enter a Group Name for the
products. Click on the check box to the left of the product
to add it to the panel below. Uncheck a product to remove it. Click
on the <Save Query> button to save the query and the product
group. If the product group is not saved, it can still be used to
compile reports.
Saved product groups:
To use a saved product group, click on the <<Select product group>>
dropdown list and select a group.
Alternately, click on <<New Product Group>> to create a new
one.
Viewing a query
Click on the summary query parameters at the top of the window to
view the query parameters.
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JARGON BUSTER
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ad valorem (AV): a tariff rate
charged as percentage of the price
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applied rates: duties that are
actually charged on imports. These can be below the bound rates
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bound rates (tariff binding):
commitment not to increase a rate of duty beyond an agreed level.
Once a rate of duty is bound, it may not be raised without
compensating the affected parties
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Consolidated Tariff Schedules
(CTS): WTO database of member countries’ legally binding
commitments on tariffs, tariff quotas and agricultural subsidies
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digits, digit-level: (tariffs)
a reference to the codes used to identify products. Categories of
products are subdivided by adding digits. See Harmonized System
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EX: code used in WTO databases
(IDB, CTS) to reflect the fact that a narrowly-defined product
(tariff line) is further subdivided because it has two or more duties
(see Harmonized System, tariff suffix). The import statistics
will be for the product (tariff line) as a whole, not for each
subdivision
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Harmonized System: World
Customs Organization’s system of code numbers for identifying
products. The codes are standard up to six digits. Beyond that
countries can introduce national distinctions for tariffs and many
other purposes
Under the system, the broadest categories of products are identified
by two-digit “chapters” (e.g. 04 is dairy products, eggs and other
edible animal products). These are then sub-divided by adding more
digits: the higher the number of digits, the more detailed the
categories. For example the four-digit code or “heading” 0403 is a
group of products derived from milk. At six digits, 0403.10 is the
“sub-heading” yoghurt; at the eight-digit or “tariff-line” level,
0403.10.11 could be low-fat yoghurt
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Integrated database (IDB): WTO
database of countries’ bound and applied tariffs and imports
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MFN (most-favoured-nation) tariff:
normal non-discriminatory tariff charged on imports (excludes
preferential tariffs under free trade agreements and other schemes or
tariffs charged inside quotas)
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schedules: (for goods) list of
bound tariff rates
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tariff line (TL in the tables):
a product, as defined by a system of code numbers for tariffs
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tariff suffix: code used in WTO
databases (IDB, CTS) to extend a narrowly-defined product’s (a tariff
line’s) HS code number (see Harmonized System) in order to
record two or more duties at different levels. The tariff suffixes
are additional digits used when the customs tariff is more detailed
than the corresponding import statistics The individual duties are
recorded under tariff sub-items, which have tariff suffixes “01”–“99”
added to the product’s code. The average of the sub-items’ duty rates
could be recorded under the principal item (tariff suffix “00”). The
tariff suffix is also used to record partially bound MFN duties. See
EX
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How to …? Tips on extracting data
How to use Duty Criteria and/or Trade
parameters to select specific tariff lines
Note that the optional duty and trade criteria
options are based on the entire file (all products). If the criteria
specified does not apply to the products that have been selected, a message
will be shown saying, “No tariff lines available for the selected product”.
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Tariff lines are selected according to the
criteria specified as follows. Some of the criteria can be combined
with “and”, the Boolean operator: |
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WHAT IS A ‘TARIFF LINE’?
A product defined at a detailed level (eg, with seven, eight or
more digits in the identifying codes) for the purposes of setting a
customs tariff. |
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Evaluation of duty criteria:
Data element (if specified) |
Criteria for selection |
Boolean operator |
Nature of duty |
Nature of duty, for any duty, for the tariff line equal to that checked |
AND |
Binding |
Any binding checked |
AND |
Duty values |
Any duty type checked for which the duty value falls within the value range or threshold specified |
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AND |
Evaluation of Trade Parameters:
Data element (if specified) |
Criteria |
Boolean operator |
Partner |
Trade exists for selected partner (or, if specified, no trade exists for partner) |
AND |
Trade threshold |
Partner import value meets threshold specified |
AND |
Share / Rank |
Partner falls within share OR rank specified |
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How CTS tariff lines are selected
when using Duty Criteria: Tariff lines in the
Consolidated Tariff Schedules (countries’ lists of tariff commitments) are
evaluated according to the duty criteria specified as follows. “MFN” or
“most-favoured nation” means standard non-discriminatory or
non-preferential tariffs. Where tariff quotas apply, the “MFN” tariffs are
the rates for quantities outside the quotas. “Bindings” are committed
maximum tariff rates:
Data element (if specified) |
Criteria |
Boolean operator |
MFN Bound duty |
Bound duty value falls within the value range or threshold specified |
AND |
Bound duty nature |
Nature of bound duty for the tariff line equal to that checked: ie, whether ad valorem (percentage of the price) or something different |
AND |
Bound duty binding |
Bound duty binding equal to any binding checked |
AND |
MFN base duty |
Base duty value falls within the value range or threshold specified |
AND |
Base duty nature |
Nature of base duty — ie, whether ad valorem (percentage of the price) or something different — for the tariff line equal to that checked |
AND |
Base duty binding |
Base duty binding equal to any binding checked |
AND |
SSG/EX |
Tariff line is SSG (special agricultural safeguard) item if checked AND tariff line is EX item if EX checked. (EX or “ex-out”: see jargon buster on page 6) |
AND |
Binding |
Any binding checked |
AND |
Present instrument |
Any instrument checked |
AND |
Implementation period |
Any implementation period checked |
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How to identify high tariffs:
After having selected the desired products using the Selected Products
panel in the Queries window, execute the Tariff and Trade
Profiles Report to identify duty ranges (either summary, detail or
user-defined) where high tariffs occur. Next, go to the Duty Criteria
panel in the Queries window and select the desired duty. Enter
the duty threshold (eg, 15) in the Value From column. Then compile
the Tariff Line Report to view the tariff lines where high tariffs
occur. Some tariff lines use the “tariff suffix”
to record different duties for a given tariff line where the import
statistics are not broken down according to the different duty levels. Note
that for those tariff lines where the tariff suffix is used, if the duties
of any of the member tariff lines (suffix 01-99) fall within the duty
threshold, all tariff lines (tariff suffix 00-99) for the tariff item will
be selected. An example is the following case:
| Duty threshold: |
15 % |
Tariff line-Suffix |
Duty Rate |
0501.10.10-00
0501.10.10-01
0501.10.10-02 |
% (simple average of the member
lines)
15.5%
10.5% |
Although the duties for suffix 00 and suffix 02
are less than the specified duty threshold, they are selected because the
duty for suffix 01 is higher than the specified threshold. Also note that
the imports for the tariff line are recorded at the level of the principal
item (tariff suffix 00). How to identify
products with high values of imports, either for a specific trading partner
or as a whole: There are two ways to do this. You
can compile the Principal Products Report for all products or for a
selection of products. If you are interested in products for a particular
trading partner, first go to the Trade Parameters panel of the
Queries window and select the desired trading partner. Then compile the
Principal Products Report. Alternately, use
the Trade Parameters panel to select the partner and enter the value
threshold. Next compile the Tariff Line Report. You can also compile
the Tariff Averages Report to obtain the total number of tariff
lines and aggregated imports for your selection.
How to identify beneficiaries of specific trading regimes:
Execute the Principal Suppliers Report. Select an aggregate from the
drop-down list based on the trading regime: MFN (most-favoured nation or
normal trading), free-trade area, other preferential agreements, GSP
(generalized system of preferences) total, LDC (least developed countries)
total, general. Then click on the partner
drop-down list to see whether the partner is included in the list. Note
that there are two aggregates for LDCs (least developed countries). The
first is based on the reporting country’s LDC definition which may differ
from the second, a standard definition (labelled Least Developed
Countries in the drop-down list) for all markets.
How to identify unbound items: Use the Duty
criteria panel to check Unbound duties (binding code “U”; note that the
binding codes are not recorded for some reporting countries). Next compile
the Tariff Line Report to view the unbound items. You can also
compile the Tariff Averages Report to obtain the total number of
tariff lines and aggregated imports for your selection.
How to identify products for which a particular trading partner is one of
the main suppliers: Select the partner in the
Trade parameters panel and then use the share or rank criteria to
identify products for which the selected trading partner is a main
supplier. Next compile the Tariff Line Report to view the selected
items. You can also compile the Tariff Averages Report to obtain the
total number of tariff lines and aggregated imports for your selection.
How to identify the duties recorded for a particular reporting country:
The Duty Criteria panel shows the duties recorded for the reporting
country. Beneficiaries of preferential trading schemes can be identified by
clicking on the magnifying glass icon to the right of the duty.
How to select tariff lines with preferential treatments:
Execute the Duties Comparison Report. Select an MFN (ie,
non-preferential) duty for Duty Type 1 and a preferential duty for Duty
Type 2. Then click on the text “Duty1 > Duty 2”. You will be presented with
a list of all tariff lines where the MFN duty is higher than the selected
preferential duty Why do the unit values shown
in the Tariff Line report and the Principal Suppliers report sometimes not
match my manual calculations? Unit values are
calculated by dividing the total import value (in US dollars, usually CIF)
by the quantity traded. Some members provide the quantities with decimal
fractions, depending on the unit used for recording quantities. For
instance if the quantity unit was metric tonnes (1,000 kg), a quantity of
150 kg would be recorded as 0.15. The decimal places for quantities are not
shown in the reports. To calculate the actual quantity provided, divide the
import value (in units) by the unit value. Why
are the number of tariff lines always the same in the summary reports
regardless of the duty type selected? Most
analyses are compiled on the basis of a specified type of duty. Many users
ask why the number of lines are always the same regardless of the type of
duty selected. This is because when some types of preferential duties are
not granted for all tariff lines, the query procedure selects the next best
option. For instance, if you wish to compare the tariff averages for
generalized system of preferences (GSP) duties with the tariff averages for
most-favoured nation (MFN, ie, non-preferential) applied duties, for those
tariff lines not benefiting from GSP treatment, the item would receive MFN
treatment. For such items, the MFN duty would be used as a default duty.
Default duties are assigned as follows:
for WTO current bound duties (duty type
01), if the tariff line is unbound, the MFN (most-favoured nation or
normal) applied duty (duty type 02) would be used; for MFN applied duties (duty type 02), if
not recorded, the WTO current bound duty (duty type 01) would be used; for MFN temporary duties (duty type 03), if
not recorded, the MFN applied duty (duty type 02) would be used or, if
not recorded, the WTO current bound duty would be used; for GSP (generalized system of preferences)
duties (duty types 40-49), if not recorded, the following duty types
would be used by default if recorded: duty type 03 or duty type 02 or
duty type 01. for LDC (least developed countries) duties
(duty type 50), if not recorded, the following duty types would be used
by default if recorded: duty type 40 or duty type 03 or duty type 02 or
duty type 01; for General duties (duty type 80), if not
recorded, the following duty types would be used by default if recorded:
duty type 03 or duty type 02 or duty type 01. for other preferential duties (FTA ie free
trade area, ZONE, Other preferential — duty types 10 — 39), if not
recorded, the following duty types would be used by default if recorded:
duty type 03 or duty type 02 or duty type 01.
To see the tariff lines that are accorded a
particular type of duty, for instance GSP duties, use the Duty Criteria
panel to select the GSP duty and then compile a summary report to see the
number of lines where the GSP duty is accorded or the Tariff Line Report to
see the GSP items. On the web:
http://tariffanalysis.wto.org
E-mail: idb@wto.org |
