18
votes
Accepted
How does the Trump administration justify tariffs on luxury goods?
The recently announced tariffs on the EU are not about national security. They are WTO sanctioned tariffs to offset EU state aid to Airbus, not tariffs that need to be justified under WTO rules.
...
- 23.9k
15
votes
Accepted
Why did the UK not trade more with countries outside the EU?
Trade with any country doesn't happen because governments say so (at least not in democracies). It happens because the conditions for trade are favourable. Democratic governments can restrict trade, ...
- 15.2k
15
votes
Can imports be banned according to method of production?
In general, a sovereign state can regulate what is or isn't allowed within its borders in any way it wants - that is a part of the whole "sovereignty" thing. But international agreements and ...
- 3,832
13
votes
Accepted
How will Trump’s tariffs affect North Korea?
It won't have any direct effect at all, because North Korea does not export anything to the United States. The new US import tariffs might at best have an indirect effect on the North Korean economy, ...
- 74.7k
11
votes
Accepted
What is the legal basis for the Trump administration's decision to impose and then remove tariffs?
Congress granted to the President authority to set tariffs by agreement with outher countries in the Reciprocal Tariff Act of 1934, and later extended such authority under various laws. The trump ...
- 2,621
11
votes
Accepted
Why did the EU threaten to retaliate over Airbus-related tariffs even after they were allowed by the WTO?
It's right there in the article you've linked, but it is reading between the lines a bit.
The EU are not threatening retaliatory tariffs in a tit-for-tat manner. They are talking about how the EU will ...
- 23.9k
10
votes
How does the Trump administration justify tariffs on luxury goods?
I haven't seen a discussion of how the US administration chose the current list. Keep in mind that they also included a 10% rise in aircraft [but not parts] tariffs, which is clearly directly related ...
- 144k
9
votes
Why did the UK not trade more with countries outside the EU?
As long as the UK is in the EU, it is not allowed to make trade agreements. Only the EU can do that, in an "one size fits all" approach.
Proponents of the EU point out that only the EU can meet ...
- 106k
9
votes
Why did the EU threaten to retaliate over Airbus-related tariffs even after they were allowed by the WTO?
What Jontia says is correct. Here's a better explainer from Reuters (of yesterday):
Who won?
By many accounts, the lawyers and multiple expert witnesses. Costs of the cases are estimated to top $100 ...
- 144k
8
votes
What is the legal basis for the Trump administration's decision to impose and then remove tariffs?
The president can order that tariffs be imposed for national security. Trump's reasoning is laid out here:
https://www.vox.com/2018/3/8/17097206/trump-tariffs-congress
You are right that the ...
- 221
8
votes
Accepted
What are the groups that can legally challenge Trump's tariffs and can they have them reversed?
Standing
Relevant Bodies Of Law
There are a couple of types of legal standing (i.e. the right right to bring a lawsuit related to something because you are sufficiently connected to the dispute).
An ...
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7
votes
Accepted
Did Trump make any concessions in his 'Phase 1' trade deal with China today?
This question is making the usual fallacious assumption (from Trump propaganda) that raising tariffs only hurts your "opponent" trade partner. But it hurts your own economy too. Given the ...
- 144k
6
votes
Can imports be banned according to method of production?
Yes, but on a business level rather than an international trade level.
As an example of this, the intention and implications of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 is discussed in this devex article. This ...
- 23.9k
6
votes
Why did the UK not trade more with countries outside the EU?
First, the UK was part of the single market, and no other trade deal was as favorable as that. So, EU countries make more natural trading partners. Second, an overwhelming amount of economic ...
- 298
5
votes
Accepted
What happens if a country does not abide by WTO rules?
The UK government would be entitled to take these tariffs, but they are not obligated to take them. The customs checks on imported goods are the prerogative of the importing country. If the importing ...
- 74.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Will the recent US tariffs against Scottish (and more generally UK) products cease to apply after Brexit?
It is highly likely the tariffs will remain in place.
The press release specifically calls out four countries that the US says is behind most of the illegal state subsidies that triggered the tariffs:...
- 27.8k
4
votes
Can imports be banned according to method of production?
It probably mostly depends on the country doing the importing, as well as countries that the goods pass through.
The most prominent example that comes to mind is an executive order by Bill Clinton ...
- 741
4
votes
Did Trump make any concessions in his 'Phase 1' trade deal with China today?
"Agreeing" to do things is a euphemism with no substance. China can change its mind tomorrow, and so can Trump. There is no deal.
Trump is exaggerating the significance of the talks because he is ...
- 2,689
3
votes
Are Common External Tariff levels in the EU agreed via qualified majority voting or unanimity?
"Unilaterally" doesn't apply here, as I would argue there is no such thing in EU. I am not certain if "unanimous" does, but it doesn't look like it.
CET tariff levels are EU regulations. EU ...
- 1,024
2
votes
Accepted
Reselling and tariffs between China/UK and EU
The "principle" is that "yes", goods imported from China to Spain must pay EU tariffs on Chinese goods, whether or not they are diverted through the UK.
In practice there are 101 ...
- 115k
2
votes
Does GATT Article 24 mean that a transitional tariff regime is permitted if the UK leaves the EU without a negotiated exit arrangement?
The Uk Trade Forum has an article on this question. It argues that such an agreement is possible, but it names three hurdles (I directly quote those below):
The UK would have to reach agreement with ...
JJJ♦
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2
votes
What is the legal basis for the Trump administration's decision to impose and then remove tariffs?
The other answers are only partially correct. Not all Trump tariffs are based on the national security section 232. In fact, most tariffs he raised on China are not like that, but rather:
On March ...
- 144k
2
votes
Does a tariff of 25% on steel imports do anything other than make steel more expensive in the US?
Tariffs can have some unexpected effects. PBS ran a story for example how increases in steel tariffs that were not coupled by increases in nail tariffs resulted in more nail imports and hardship for a ...
- 144k
2
votes
Does a tariff of 25% on steel imports do anything other than make steel more expensive in the US?
What is the effect of the tariff?
The tariff makes it more expensive to import goods that fall under the tariff (steel and aluminium) into the United States from those countries to which the tariff ...
JJJ♦
- 38.9k
1
vote
When is a US tariff actually paid?
Information regarding process of importing goods into the U.S. can be found here:
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Importing%20into%20the%20U.S.pdf
Liability For Duties
...
- 7,967
1
vote
Are Common External Tariff levels in the EU agreed via qualified majority voting or unanimity?
It appears to be subject to qualified majority voting by member states, through the "ordinary legislative procedure". This explainer seems to be good:
2.26 With the exception of Article 31, all the ...
- 22k
1
vote
Who sets US tariffs, Congress or the executive branch?
Trump's authority to levy tariffs unilaterally is derived from the Trade Expansion Act
The legal basis cited in Trump's tariff order is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 which under ...
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