WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  ANNEX 5 – SAINT LUCIA 
 WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  CONTENTS 
1   ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ...................................................................................... 293  
1.1   Main Macroecono mic Developments .......................................................................... 293  
1.1.1   Real  economy ..................................................................................................... 293  
1.1.2   Fiscal policy and structural reforms......................................................................... 294  
1.1.3   Balance of payments, monetary and exchange rate policy .......................................... 295  
1.2   Trade and Investment Patterns ................................................................................. 296  
1.3   Outlook ................................................................................................................. 298  
2   TRADE POLICY REGIME: FR AMEWORK AND OB JECTIVES ........................................ 300  
2.1   General Constitution al and Legal Framework .............................................................. 300  
2.2   Trade Policy Formulation and Implementation ............................................................. 300  
2.3   Foreign Inve stment Regime ..................................................................................... 301  
2.4   Internatio nal Relations ............................................................................................ 302  
2.4.1   World Trade Organization ...................................................................................... 302  
2.4.2   Preferential agreements and arrangements .............................................................. 303  
3   TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES BY MEASURE ...................................................... 304  
3.1   Measures Directly  Affecting Import s .......................................................................... 304  
3.1.1   Procedures ......................................................................................................... 30 4 
3.1.2   Tariffs ............................................................................................................... . 304  
3.1.3   Other charges affecting imports ............................................................................. 309  
3.1.4   Customs valuation and rules of origin ..................................................................... 310  
3.1.5   Import prohibitions, restrictions an d licensing .......................................................... 310  
3.1.6   Continge ncy measures ......................................................................................... 312  
3.1.7   Technical regulations, co nformity assessment, and standards ..................................... 312  
3.1.8   Sanitary and ph ytosanitary me asures ..................................................................... 313  
3.1.9   Other measures ................................................................................................... 314  
3.2   Measures Directly Affecting Exports, and Restrictions ................................................... 314  
3.2.1   Export procedures, taxes, and rest rictions ............................................................... 314  
3.2.2   Export subsidies, financing, insurance, and promotion ............................................... 315  
3.3   Measures Affecting Production an d Trade ................................................................... 316  
3.3.1   Ince ntives .......................................................................................................... 3 16 
3.3.2   Competition policy and price controls ...................................................................... 317  
3.3.3   State-trading and state-owned en terprises .............................................................. 317  
3.3.4   Government  procurement ..................................................................................... 317  
3.3.5   Intellectual property rights .................................................................................... 318  
4   TRADE POLICIES BY SECTOR ................................................................................... 321  
4.1   Agriculture ............................................................................................................ 321 
4.1.1   Overview ............................................................................................................ 3 21 
4.1.2   Border  measures ................................................................................................. 321  
4.1.3   Domestic measures .............................................................................................. 321  WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  4.2   Manufac turing ........................................................................................................ 32 2 
4.3   Services ................................................................................................................  322 
4.3.1   Telecommunications ............................................................................................. 322  
4.3.2   Financial services ................................................................................................. 324  
4.3.2.1   Onshore fi nancial serv ices .................................................................................. 324  
4.3.2.1.1   Banks ........................................................................................................... 3 24 
4.3.2.1.2   Insurance ...................................................................................................... 325  
4.3.2.2   Offshore fi nancial serv ices .................................................................................. 325  
4.3.3   Transport ........................................................................................................... 3 26 
4.3.4   Tourism .............................................................................................................. 326  
4.3.5   Profession al services ............................................................................................ 327  
REFERENC ES ................................................................................................................ 328  
5   APPENDIX TABLES .................................................................................................. 329  
 
CHARTS 
 Chart 1.1 Merchandise trade by SITC section, 2007 and 20 12 .............................................. 297
 
Chart 1.2 Merchandise trade by main or igin and destinatio n, 2007 and2 012 ........................... 298  
Chart 3.1 Frequency distribution  of MFN tariff  rates,  2013 .................................................... 306  
Chart 3.2 Distribution of the MFN tariff by ISCI sector, 2013 ................................................ 307  
 
TABLES 
 Table 1.1 Selected macroeco nomic indicato rs, 2007-13  ....................................................... 293
 
Table 1.2 Balance of payments, 2007-13 ........................................................................... 295  
Table 2.1 Selected notifications to the WTO, 2007-13 .......................................................... 302  
Table 3.1 Tax revenue by main source s, 2007- 12 ............................................................... 305  
Table 3.2 Structure of MFN Tariff, 2006 and 2013 ............................................................... 305  
Table 3.3 Summary analysis  of MFN ta riff, 2013 ................................................................. 307  
Table 3.4 Products subject to import li censing .................................................................... 311  
Table 3.5 Procurement contracts, 2009-13 ........................................................................ 318  
Table 3.6 National IP R legislatio n, 2013 ............................................................................ 319  
Table 4.1 Manufacturing  production , 2008-12 .................................................................... 322  
Table 4.2 Telecommunicati ons statisti cs, 2008- 13 .............................................................. 324  
 
APPENDIX TABLES 
 
Table A1. 1 Merchandise exports and re-e xports by SITC se ction, 2007- 12 ............................ 329  
Table A1. 2 Merchandise imports by SITC section, 2007-12 .................................................. 330  
Table A1. 3 Merchandise exports and re-e xports by trading partner, 2007-12 ......................... 331  
Table A1. 4 Merchandise exports and re-e xports by trading partner, 2007-12 ......................... 332  WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  1  ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 
1.1  Main Macroeconomic Developments 1.1.1  Real economy 1.1.  The services sector is the main pillar of St . Lucia's economy; according to ECCB estimates, its 
GDP contribution increased from 70% in 2007 to approximately 73% in 2013 (Table 1.1). Tourism 
remains the most important activity in terms of generated employment and foreign exchange. 
Other noteworthy services activities include real estate, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, 
services provided by the Government, and financial intermediation.  
1.2.  Following dynamic activity in the run-up to the hosting of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, both 
public and private sector expenditure in the construction sector fell in a gradual decline of its GDP share in 2009-13. Agriculture's GDP contribution remained modest during the review period, partly 
due to the adverse effects of natural disasters, plant pests, and rising input prices. The sector 
continues to struggle with structural constraints, including the prevalence of small-scale production units and an aging rural population. St. Lucia remains a net food importer, with a widening 
agricultural trade deficit; it also depends heavily on imports of fossil fuels. 
Table 1.1 Selected macroeconomic indicators, 2007-13 
 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013a
Real sector        
Nominal GDP (EC$ million) 3,093 3,197 3,186 3,381 3,500 3,560 3,648 
GDP per capita (EC$) 15,167 15,807 15,687 15,610 15,691 15,398 15,437 
Real GDP (basic 2006 prices, 
EC$ million) 2,472 2,590 2,584 2,588 2,626 2,604 2,611 
Real GDP growth (%) 1.7 4.8 -0.2 0.1 1.5 -0.8 0.3 
Consumer Price Index 
(January 2008=100, % change, period 
average) 2.8 5.6 -0.2 3.3 2.8 4.2 .. 
Unemployment rate (%)b 14.0 15.7 18.1 20.6 21.2 21.4 24.9 
GDP components (% of GDP) 
Total consumption 96.2 91.9 79.9 86.4 90.8 84.3 84.9 
 Public final consumption expenditure 12.0 12.9 13.8 14.1 13.9 14.4 14.5 
 Private final consumption expenditure 84.1 79.0 66.1 72.4 77.0 69.9 70.4 
Gross capital formation 29.2 32.1 28.9 27.8 28.0 26.3 25.7 
 Transportation 6.5 6.1 3.6 5.1 4.6 4.2 4.1 
 Other machinery & equipment 4.3 5.6 5.3 5.3 6.1 5.7 5.6 
 Construction 18.4 20.4 20.0 17.5 17.4 16.4 16.0 
Goods  & services -25.3 -24.0 -8.8 -14.3 -18.9 -10.7 -10.6 
 Total exports of goods & services 39.9 45.3 46.1 48.6 44.3 44.5 44.6 
  Exports of goods 8.8 14.6 16.2 19.1 14.9 15.0 14.8 
  Exports of services 31.1 30.7 29.9 29.5 29.4 29.5 29.8 
 Total imports of goods & services 65.2 69.3 54.9 62.9 63.2 55.2 55.2 
  Imports of goods 47.3 51.1 38.8 46.6 47.5 40.8 40.8 
  Imports of services 18.0 18.2 16.1 16.3 15.7 14.4 14.5 
Gross national saving -0.9 3.4 17.3 11.6 9.2 13.6 13.7 
Foreign saving 30.1 28.7 11.6 16.2 18.8 12.8 12.0 
GDP by economic activity (% of GDP) 
Agriculture, livestock & forestry  2.3 3.2 3.0 2.2 1.8 2.0 2.0 
  Crops 2.0 2.8 2.6 1.8 1.4 1.7 1.7 
  Bananas 1.2 1.8 1.6 0.9 0.4 0.6 0.6 
     Other crops 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 
  Livestock 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 
  Forestry 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Fishing 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 
Mining & quarrying  0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
Manufacturing 4.3 3.8 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.1 2.9 
Electricity & water 3.2 3.2 3.6 3.5 3.2 3.3 3.3 
Construction 7.2 8.0 7.8 6.9 6.8 6.4 6.3 WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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   2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013a
Wholesale & retail trade 7.8 7.8 6.9 6.5 7.5 7.3 6.5 
Hotels & restaurants  11.8 10.6 10.5 13.6 12.8 13.5 13.7 
  Hotels 9.6 8.7 8.4 11.6 10.7 11.4 11.6 
  Restaurants  2.2 1.8 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 
Transport, storage & communications 16.4 15.6 15.2 16.6 16.4 16.3 16.4 
  Transport & storage 10.6 9.8 9.3 10.9 11.2 11.2 11.3 
  Communications 5.8 5.8 6.0 5.8 5.2 5.1 5.1 
Financial intermediation 7.1 7.2 6.9 5.5 5.1 5.0 4.9 
Real estate, renting & business activities 14.0 14.2 14.8 14.6 15.0 15.1 15.2 
Public administration, defence & 
compulsory social security 5.0 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.8 6.0 6.0 
Education 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7 
Health & social work 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 
Other community, social & personal 
services 3.0 3.3 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.2 4.3 
Activities of private households as 
employers 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
Less: FISIM 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.8 
Plus:  Product taxes 14.8 14.7 14.9 14.1 14.1 13.7 14.4 
Less:  Subsidies on products 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 
General Government finance (% of GDP ) 
Current revenue 22.8 25.1 24.7 23.0 23.3 22.9 23.7 
Current expenditure 17.5 19.4 20.9 21.4 21.7 22.7 22.5 
Primary balance -2.8 4.4 0.8 -0.5 -3.2 -4.4 -1.6 
Overall fiscal balance 0.5 0.0 -2.0 -0.6 -4.6 -6.4 -5.2 
Public sector external debt (end-of-
period) 35.6 30.7 31.6 31.4 32.1 32.8 .. 
Gross public sector debt 57.2 56.0 57.9 60.8 65.7 71.9 .. 
Money & interest rates        
Money supply, M1 (EC$ million, end-of-
period) 639 661 702 645 675 701 .. 
Broad money, M2 (EC$ million, end-of-
period) 1,544 1,805 1,851 1,915 2,054 2,098 .. 
Prime lending rate (% per year) 9.5-10 9.5-10 9.5-13 9.5-13 9.5-13 9-13 .. 
Other lending rates (% per year) 6-17 6-19 6-19 6-19 6-25 6-25 .. 
Savings rate (%, end-of-period) 3-4.25 3-4.26 3-4.27 3-4.28 3-4 3-4 .. 
.. Not available. 
 a Projection, unless indicated otherwise. b The figure for 2013 is based on preliminary data for the period January-September. 
Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Annual Economic and Financial Review  2011 and 2012; ECCB 
online statistics (viewed at: http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/Statistics/index.asp); and authorities of St. Lucia. 
1.3.  St. Lucia's economy grew erratically during the review period, on account of external shocks 
and structural impediments. While the global economic downturn seriously impacted tourism 
revenue and FDI inflows, the rapid growth of domestic real wages contributed to a steady decline 
in productivity, resulting in erosion of competitiveness. Following a peak growth rate of approximately 4.8% in 2008, real GDP grew at an  annual average rate of just 0.16% in 2009-13, 
according to ECCB estimates. The unemployment rate has remained high, at 21.4% for the first 
three quarters of 2013, as the labour market continues to suffer from a mismatch of jobseekers' 
skills and available jobs, with some 60% of the labour force lacking secondary school education.
1 
1.1.2  Fiscal policy and structural reforms 
1.4.  Budgetary outlays, driven by a strong policy  response to the sluggish economic performance, 
have generally been on the rise, whereas revenue streams have not kept apace. Apart from surpluses in 2008 and 2009, the primary fiscal result registered deficits throughout the review 
period and the overall fiscal balance turned into a deficit as from 2009. The overall fiscal deficit 
has remained between 4% and 6% of GDP over th e past three years. Amidst this situation of 
                                               
1 Government of St. Lucia (2013). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  deteriorating public finances, public sector debt rose steadily to reach some 71.9% of GDP 
in 2012. The authorities estimate that, in the abse nce of fiscal adjustments, the debt burden could 
increase to 90% of GDP by 2015.2  
1.5.  Conscious of their very limited policy space, the authorities have embarked on a process of 
fiscal consolidation and structural reforms. Efforts to broaden the tax base and improve tax 
collection have led to the introduction of VAT (sec tion 3.1.3) and amendments to the property tax 
system; certain administrative charges, such as application fees for alien's landholding licences 
(section 2.3), have also been revised upward. In itiatives aimed at containing expenditures have 
included: a fuel-cost pass-through mechanism establishing a three-month cycle for retail price adjustments; a reduction in the magnitude and scope of blanket price subsidies on essential commodities; and public-private partnerships for new infrastructure developments in water supply 
systems, port and airport facilities, and accommodation of government offices. Although all these 
initiatives will help to lower the deficit, other expenditure components are more rigid and will prove more difficult to deal with. In this respec t, the authorities estimate the non-discretionary 
component of current spending at some 70%; it remains dominated by the wage bill, which 
accounts for some 43% of current spending (nearly 13% of GDP).
3  
1.6.  The Government's short-term reform programme also envisages a number of measures to 
reinforce the institutional framework and enhance competitiveness, such as: establishing a 
specialized court for commercial disputes; creating an energy sector regulator and paving the way for commercial entry of renewable energy producers; implementing information technology solutions for fully transactional online presence of the public administration and monitoring of 
government vehicles; and a better targeted social safety net.  
1.1.3  Balance of payments, monetary and exchange rate policy 1.7.  As a member of the Eastern Caribbean Cu rrency Union (ECCU), St. Lucia applies its common 
monetary and exchange policies (Common Report ). Although moderate on average during 
2007-12, at about 3% a year, inflation fluctuated somewhat in 2008-09. The introduction of the VAT in October 2012 (section 3.1.3) intensified inflationary pressures, notably in the following 
consumer basket categories: clothing and footwear, recreation and culture, and food and 
beverages.  
1.8.  During the review period, the current account of the balance of payments remained 
structurally in deficit, attributable mainly to the goods component (Table 1.2). St. Lucia continued 
to import merchandise worth nearly four times the total value of its goods exports. The surplus in 
services, although on the rise, has remained insufficient to cover the sustained merchandise trade deficit. By and large, the current account deficits have been financ ed by foreign direct investment. 
Table 1.2 Balance of payments, 2007-13  
(EC$ million)
a 
 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013b
Current account -931 -918 -369 -547 -658 -494 -271
  Goods and services -784 -767 -281 -482 -660 -411 -188 
    Goods -1,189 -1,167 -720 -929 -1,140 -956 -787 
      Merchandise -1,257 -1,241 -788 -995 -1,227 -1,037 -872 
        Exports 206 392 448 579 436 493 469 
        Imports 1,463 1,633 1,236 1,574 1,663 1,529 1,341 
      Repair on goods 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
      Goods procured in ports by carriers 68 74 68 66 81 81 85 
    Services 406 400 439 447 479 544 598 
      Transportation -171 -205 -152 -169 -192 -172 -160 
      Travel 700 717 674 703 736 789 831 
      Insurance services -22 -31 -16 -24 -27 -23 -20 
      Other business services -89 -69 -58 -57 -29 -39 -43 
      Government services -13 -12 -8 -6 -9 -10 -10 
                                               
2 Government of St. Lucia (2013). 
3 A 4% wage increase was awarded to public officers  in fiscal year 2011/12 an d is being offset by an 
80% reduction in f unded vacancies. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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   2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013b
  Income -184 -194 -122 -107 -54 -102 -102 
    Compensation of employees 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
    Investment income -184 -195 -122 -108 -55 -103 -103 
  Current transfers 37 44 34 41 56 19 19 
    General Government 8 11 1 5 2 -4 -4 
    Other sectors 29 33 32 37 52 23 23 
Capital and financial account 984 915 501 571 659 521 229
  Capital account 23 29 70 118 92 89 76 
    Capital transfers 23 29 70 118 92 89 76 
      General Government 20 26 66 115 88 85 72 
      Other sectors 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
  Financial account 961 885 431 453 568 432 153 
      Direct investment 734 435 395 328 219 205 225 
      Portfolio investment 1 -26 -79 83 91 141 254 
      Other investments 226 476 114 43 258 86 -327 
        Public sector long term 55 -26 47 80 4 -43 -6 
        Other public sector capital 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
        Commercial banks 217 466 -12 -114 211 132 -40 
        Other assets -79 20 56 13 -4 -68 -339 
        Other liabilities 33 16 24 64 47 64 58 
Net errors and omissions -4 -27 -42 62 19 18 -65 
Overall balance 50 -29 90 86 20 44 -107
Financing -50 29 -90 -86 -20 -44 107 
  Change in govern ment foreign assets 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
  Change in imputed reserves -51 29 -28 -86 -20 -44 107 
Memorandum        
Current account balance (%of GDP) -30.4 -29.2 -11.7 -16.9 -20.1 -13.9 -7.4 
Net imputed international reserves 
(US$ million) 151 140 151 182 190 201 .. 
Debt service ratio (% of exports of 
goods and services) 13.1 11.3 12.7 11.3 10.4 11.2 .. 
.. Not available. 
 a EC$ = US$1. b Provisional. 
Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Annual Economic and Financial Review  (2011) and (2012); 
ECCB online statistics. Viewed at: http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/Statistics/index.asp ; and the 
authorities of St. Lucia. 
1.2  Trade and Investment Patterns 
1.9.  St. Lucia's merchandise trade statistics for the review period present a number of gaps and 
inaccuracies, which undermine their trustworthiness. Detailed information on services trade and 
investment flows was not made available. 
1.10.  St. Lucia's total merchandise trade grew by some 18% between 2007 and 2012, albeit with 
an unsteady pattern reflecting swings in international commodity prices. Re-exports are an important source of revenue, exceeding earnings from domestic exports in 2008-10 (Table A1.1). 
Manufactures, fuels, and beverages and tobacco re present the bulk of St. Lucia's exports; their 
combined share in total exports increased during th e review period, whereas that of food and live 
animals declined steadily. The composition of im ports highlights the predominance of the same 
product categories, albeit with an expanding share of expenditure on food and live animals 
(Chart 1.1 and Table A1.2). 
1.11.  Trinidad and Tobago and the United States remain St. Lucia's main trading partners, jointly 
accounted for more than half of St. Lucian imports and approximately 45% of exports in 2012. 
Other important trading partners include the United Kingdom, Barbados, and other OECS countries (Chart 1.2 and Tables A1.3 and A1.4).  WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Chart 1.1 Merchandise trade by SITC section, 2007 and 2012 
2007 2012
(a)    Exports and re-exports
Total: US$76 million
(b)    Im ports 
Total: US$616 million Total: US$648 millionTotal: US$170 millionBeverages, 
tobacco
20.6%Misc.manuf. 
articles
6.0%
Machinery & 
transport equip.
19.6%Food & live 
animals
7.1%
Food & live 
animals
15.7%Food & live 
animals
24.4%
Manufactured 
goods
7.9%Other
1.1%Other
1.1%
Other
0.3%Other
4.4%Beverages, 
tobacco
18.5%
Crude 
materials
5.3%
Manufactured 
goods
8.2%Machinery & 
transport equip.
13.4%Misc.manuf. 
articles
13.6%
Beverages, 
tobacco
3.7%Beverages, 
tobacco
4.3%Food & live 
animals
20.3%
Crude materials
2.0%
Crude 
materials
1.6%
Mineral fuels
21.2%
Mineral fuels
17.6%
Chemicals
5.9%Chemicals
6.6%Manufactured 
goods
12.5%Manufactured 
goods
13.3%Machinery 
& transport 
equip.
24.8%Machinery & 
transport equip.
20.0%Misc.manuf. 
articles
13.2%Misc.manuf. 
articles
12.4%Crude 
materials
1.3%Mineral fuels
16.4%Chemicals
2.6%
Mineral fuels
27..5%Chemicals
5.4%
 
Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Chart 1.2 Merchandise trade by main origin and destination, 2007 and 2012 
2007 2012(a)    Ex ports and re-ex ports
Total: US$76 million
(b)    Im ports 
Total: US$616 million Total: US$648 millionTotal: US$170 millionUnited States
13.8%
Barbados
12.2%
Canada
1.9%Asia
0.7%
United States
24.1%
Trinidad & 
Tobago
24.3%Other America
9.0%Others
2.1%
United States
41.7%
Other 
America
8.2%Europe
11.5%Japan
6.3%
China
1.0%Other Asia
4.4%Others
0.2%
United States
35.0%
Canada
1.7%Japan
2.4%
China
4.6%
Barbados
4.2%Europe
8.5%
Europe
27.5%Asia
1.5%
Other 
America
15.1%
Trinidad & Tobago
42.0%Barbados
5.8%
Trinidad & Tobago
19.9%Trinidad & Tobago
23.6%Barbados
2.5%Others
0.2%
St Vincent & the 
Grenadines
0.8%
St Vincent & the 
Grenadines
1.3%2007 2012
Other America
11.6%Europe
13.4%Other Asia
3.6%Guyana
0.9%Dominica
5.4%Guyana
3.8%Dominica
3.1%
 
 
Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB); the authorities of Saint Lucia; and UNSD Comtrade 
database. 
1.3  Outlook 
1.12.  St. Lucia's economic outlook remains challenging, given the authorities' very limited fiscal 
space in a context of sluggish growth, declinin g productivity, and high unemployment. The IMF 
expects economic activity to have regained so me momentum in 2013; real GDP was projected to 
grow by 1.1%, while inflation was forecast to reach 4.8% before subsiding to a more moderate WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  level (around 3%) in the following years.4 The Fund's medium term projections comprise average 
real economic growth of around 3%, single-digit inflation, and improvement in the central government primary balance (including grants) to about 2.9% of GDP as tax reforms begin to bear fruit.
5 Nevertheless, actual economic performance will depend on the speed of recovery in external 
demand for tourism services. 
1.13.  No medium-term projections were made available by the authorities. 
                                               
4 IMF Public Information Notice No. 13/27, 12 March 2013. Viewed at: http://www.imf.org/external/ 
np/sec/pn/2013/pn 1327.htm#P22_354. 
5 IMF (2010). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  2  TRADE POLICY REGIME: FRAMEWORK AND OBJECTIVES 
2.1  General Constitutional and Legal Framework 2.1.  St. Lucia is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations. Its Head of 
State is the British monarch, represented locally by a Governor General who must be a St. Lucian 
citizen. Apart from residual powers that may be used at the Governor General's discretion, 
executive power is vested in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Cabinet of Ministers is exclusively responsible for concluding trade agreements and treaties. 
2.2.  Legislative power is vested in the bicameral parliament, comprising 17 directly elected 
members of the House of Assembly and 11 members of the Senate appointed by the Governor General. The Parliament may be dissolved at any point during its five-year term by the Governor General, either at the request of the Prime Minist er or if the House of Assembly passes a vote of 
no-confidence in the Government. Parliamentary elections were last held on 28 November 2011. 
2.3.  All laws that do not conform to the Constitution of St. Lucia, the supreme law, are void to the 
extent of their inconsistency. After the Constitution, the hierarchy of legislation is: acts of 
parliament, including ordinances and international agreements given effect through parliamentary 
approval; and subsidiary legislation, which may be in the form of regulations, statutory rules or orders. A report containing draft amendments to the Constitution, elaborated by the Constitutional 
Reform Commission set up in 2006, was tabled in parliament in April 2013; it is being discussed in 
the House of Assembly.  
2.4.  Draft bills are typically prepared, after public consultations, by the Ministry of Legal Affairs in 
coordination with other relevant ministries. Regardless of where it was initially submitted for 
consideration, a draft bill must be passed in both the House and the Senate before it is presented 
to the Governor General for royal assent.
6 Upon assent, the bill becomes an Act of Parliament and 
enters into force once it has been published in the Official Gazette ; parliament may also decide 
that a bill should enter into operation with retroactive effect.7 This procedure applies to all laws, 
including trade and trade-related laws. St. Lucia continues to have serious resource constraints in legislative drafting, in 2012, the Ministry of Legal Affairs had an estimated backlog of 60 pieces of 
legislation awaiting drafting.
8  
2.5.  St. Lucia has a hybrid legal system combining common and civil law elements; international 
agreements may be invoked before national courts only if enacted into domestic law. At the lowest judicial level, magistrates courts generally hear minor civil and criminal matters. Serious civil and 
criminal cases, as well as discretionary decisions of ministers, are referred to the High Court, and 
may be appealed at the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London remains the final Court of Appeal for St. Lucia. All courts, 
from the level of the High Court, are vested with authority to interpret and enforce the 
Constitution, as well as all trade-related laws. The alternate dispute resolution system utilized in St. Lucia is based on mediation. The authorities have indicated their intention to establish a 
commercial court to hear and adjudicate on all commercial disputes.  
2.2  Trade Policy Formulation and Implementation 2.6.  The Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation (METC) is responsible 
for the macroeconomic and strategic aspects of trade policy formulation, including WTO issues, 
and the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral  trade agreements. The METC also represents 
St. Lucia at regional and international trade fora, such as the WTO, the CARICOM Secretariat, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries. The domestic market is the remit of 
the Ministry of Commerce, Business developmen t, Investment and Consumer Affairs, with 
                                               
6 Bills concerning taxation and budgetary matters must be introduced and debated in the House and 
only pass formally through the Senate, without discussion. 
7 Parliament of St. Lucia online information. Viewed at: http://www.stluciaparliament.com/how-is-a-bill-
passed-into-law. 
8 Government of St. Lucia (2013). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  functions that include designing microeconomic policies and liaising with the private sector.9 
Overall economic policy is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance.  
2.7.  A Trade Facilitation Task Force, with broad public and private sector representation, was 
established in 2008 to work with counterparts from other OECS countries on a common position in 
the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation at the WTO. The Task Force does not formulate 
policies, but works on the technical aspects of measures aimed at streamlining St. Lucia's trade 
regime. It has worked on the establishment of a risk-assessment mechanism for customs 
clearance. 
2.8.  St. Lucia generally works with other OECS  and CARICOM member countries to adopt common 
trade policy positions and is assisted by the Secretariats of these regional blocks in trade matters, particularly in trade negotiations. This approach is largely necessitated by human and financial 
constraints. The establishment of the OECS technical mission in Geneva has facilitated greater 
participation in the WTO.  
2.3  Foreign investment regime 
2.9.  St. Lucia's investment policy is to strongly encourage foreign direct investment, particularly 
in sectors and industries that create jobs and earn foreign exchange. The National Development Corporation, better known as Invest Saint Lucia is the Government body in charge of foreign direct 
investment; its goal is to promote foreign investment and to offer guidance and to anyone seeking 
investment opportunities in St. Lucia. To this end, Invest St. Lucia acts as a "one stop shop" for the provision of services to both domestic and foreign investors. The services offered include: general and sector specific information; identifying sites for business development; matching 
investors with sector-specific projects; start-up facilitation; and the promotion of locally 
manufactured products through regional and international trade missions, among others.
10 Invest 
Saint Lucia also manages seven industrial estates.  
2.10.  Foreign investment projects require prior government approval. Investment proposals are 
reviewed by Invest St. Lucia taking into account national interest and economic benefit considerations. The investment regime does not stipulate any minimum investment thresholds or 
national security reviews. There is no general limit on the amount of foreign ownership or control 
in the establishment of a business; however, in principle, some 21 areas of investment activity, including importation for the purpose of trading, remain reserved for nationals of St. Lucia.
11 
According to the authorities, this restriction is in tended to prevent the crowding out of local small-
scale businesses; it is not applied to large investments or when local investors have no business 
interest or lack the appropriate technology. Th ere are no foreign exchange controls and no 
restrictions on the repatriation of profits. Foreig n nationals receive national treatment with regards 
to legal protection.  
2.11.  Investment incentives are offered through tax concessions and the free-zone regime 
(section 3). The main legislation in this respect includes the Fiscal Incentives Act No. 15 of 1974, 
the Free Zones Act, the Income Tax Act, the National Development Corporation Act, the 
Development Incentives Act, the Special Development Areas Act, the Trade License Act, the Aliens Licensing Act, and the Tourism Development Act. 
2.12.  Non-CARICOM nationals and alien compan ies (those with at least 50% non-CARICOM) 
participation) must apply to the Prime Minister's Office for a licence to hold land, either as an 
owner or as a lessee (lease period of two years or more).
12 Upon approval, the landholding licence 
is forwarded to the Attorney General for signature and must be registered in the Land Registry by 
a lawyer entitled to practice in St. Lucia. Landholding licences are granted for a specific property 
and do not require renewal. In the case of land acquisition, the licence fee ranges from EC$5,000 
                                               
9 Government of St. Lucia on line information. Viewed at: http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/sites/default/files/ 
documents/ files/EXTERNAL AFFAIRS POLICY REVIEW.pdf. 
10 Invest St. Lucia online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.investstlucia.com/general_pages/view/our-services. 
11 Cabinet Conclusion No. 645 of 1984. For the full list of reserved areas see: 
http://archive.stlucia.gov.lc/faq/investment_activity.pdf. 
12 A non-refundable fee of EC$5,400 is payable for each application (Aliens (Licensing) Act No. 20 of 
2002, as amended by the Aliens (Licensing) (Amendment) Act No. 11 of 2012). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  for plots of less than one acre to EC$50,000 for plots larger than 100 acres; the fee for a licence to 
lease land is 2% of the aggregate rental payable for the duration of the lease. Foreigners selling 
land are subject to a 10% stamp duty on the valu e of the property, except for CARICOM nationals 
who pay: 0% on the first EC$50,000; 2.5% on the next EC$25,000; 3.5% on the next EC$75,000; 
and 5% the any remaining balance. The standard corporate income tax rate is 33.3%. Foreign 
investors in St. Lucia can repatriate all profits and dividends and import capital. Compensation is paid in case of expropriation in the public interest. There are no recently reported cases of 
expropriation. 
2.13.  Alien companies and non-CARICOM nationals ar e also required to obtain a trade licence in 
order to conduct business in St. Lucia.
13 Trade licences are granted for the duration of the current 
calendar year and are renewable. The annual licence fee is EC$1,000. 
2.14.  Foreigners wishing to conduct business or be  gainfully employed in St. Lucia must apply to 
the Minister responsible for labour for a work permit.14 A fee of EC$400 is payable for short-term 
work permits (up to one month validity), regardless of the applicant's nationality; the fee for a 
one-year permit is EC$2,000 for CARICOM nationals and EC$7,500 for all other nationalities.15 All 
work permits are renewable. CARICOM nationals are eligible to work in ten approved professional categories without the need to obtain a work pe rmit. To this end, they must obtain a skills 
certificate and pay a one-time fee of EC$200; skills certificates issued by other CARICOM countries 
are not automatically recognized. 
2.15.  Since its previous Review, St. Lucia has concluded tax information exchange agreements 
with Aruba, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Faro e Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, 
Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and the 
United Kingdom.
16 St. Lucia has a bilateral investment treaty with the United Kingdom and with 
Germany. 
2.4  International relations 
2.4.1  World Trade Organization 2.16.  St. Lucia is an original Member of th e WTO. Many of the WTO Agreements have been 
incorporated into domestic legislation through acts of parliament and the relevant WTO provisions 
may be invoked before national courts. St. Lucia has made GATS commitments on tourism, recreational, financial, and maritime transport services; its initial offer on services in the context of the DDA negotiations dates from March 2005.  
2.17.  St. Lucia was not involved in any dispute settlement cases during the review period. It has 
made a few notifications to the WTO since 2007 (Table 2.1). 
Table 2.1 Selected notifi cations to the WTO, 2007-13 
WTO Agreement and description Document symbol 
Import Licensing   
Notification under Articl es 1.4(a) and 8.2(b) G/LIC/N/1/LCA/4 (17 September 2013); 
G/LIC/N/1/LCA/3 (10 July 2013) 
Replies to questionnaire on import licensing 
procedures G/LIC/N/3/LCA/6 (17 September 2013); 
G/LIC/N/3/LCA/5 (29 September 2008) 
Subsidies and Counter vailing Measures  
Subsidy notification and extension of 
transition period for the elimination of export subsidies G/SCM/N/253/LCA and G/SCM/N/260/LCA (16 July 2013); 
G/SCM/N/243/LCA (4 October 2012); G/SCM/N/220/LCA and G/SCM/N/226/LCA (18 October 2011); G/SCM/N/211/LCA (12 July 2010); G/SCM/N/186/LCA and G/SCM/N/192/LCA (8 September 2010); 
                                               
13 Trade Licences Act No. 5 of 16 March 1985, as amended by Act 21 of 27 March 2006. 
14 Labour Act No. 37 of 2006. 
15 Statutory Instrument No. 38 of 1 June 2004. 
16 OECD online information. Viewed at: http://www.oecd.org/ctp/exchange-of-tax-information/tax  
informationexchangeagreementstieas.htm. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  WTO Agreement and description Document symbol 
G/SCM/N/163/LCA (5 September 2007); 
G/SCM/N/155/LCA and G/SCM/N/160/LCA (9 July 2007) 
Technical Barriers to Trade  
Pre-packaged products; table eggs; transformers, reactors; small kitchen appliances G/TBT/N/LCA/49/Rev.1 (8 February 2010); 
G/TBT/N/LCA/48 (22 January 2009); G/TBT/N/LCA/46 and G/TBT/N/LCA/47 (14 April 2008) 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
2.4.2  Preferential agreements and arrangements 
2.18.  St. Lucia is a Member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) since its 
creation in 1981. The Revised Treaty of Basseterre (RTB) Establishing the OECS Economic Union was signed on 18 June 2010 in St. Lucia. The RTB created a single financial and economic space 
within which goods, people and capital move freely, monetary and fiscal policies are harmonized 
(Common Report). The Revised Treaty of Basseterre came into force on 21 January 2011 the day after, when five of six Members States (the exception being St. Lucia) had completed ratification. 
2.19.  As a founding member of both CARICOM and the OECS, St. Lucia is a party to the free-trade 
agreements signed by these regional blocks (Com mon Report). St. Lucia is also a member of the 
Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Products or iginating in St. Lucia benefit from preferential 
access to the U.S. and Canadian markets under CB I and CARIBCAN; they are also eligible for the 
GSP schemes of Australia, Canada, the European Communities, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, 
Switzerland, and the United States.  
2.20.  St. Lucia, as part of CARIFORUM (a negotiating partnership involving CARICOM and the 
Dominican Republic) signed an Economic Part nership Agreement (EPA) with the EU in 2008 
(Common Report). St. Lucia ratified the EPA in September 2012. The EPA, although in force, is still in the process of full implementation by St. Lu cia and other OECS countries, requiring a number of 
legal and institutional changes. As at March 2014, St. Lucia had not implemented any tariff 
reductions under the EPA. Implementation of tariff cuts will require the adoption of administrative 
and legislative measures. 
2.21.  As a founding member of the CARICOM and the OECS, St. Lucia is a party to the free-trade 
agreements signed by the two regional blocks (Common Report); it also benefits from these 
regional pools of technical resources in trade policy formulation and implementation. Products originating in St. Lucia benefit from preferential access to the EU, U.S., and Canadian markets; 
they are also eligible for a number of GSP schemes, including those of Australia, Japan, 
New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey.  
 WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  3  TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES BY MEASURE 
3.1  Measures Directly Affecting Imports  3.1.1  Procedures 3.1.  Importers must register with the Customs an d Excise Department to obtain user access to 
the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA); customs brokers are required to pay an 
EC$5,000 customs bond or security deposit. An  upgrade to ASYCUDA World, the system's 
internet-based version, was completed in October 2010. Electronic submission of supporting 
documentation became mandatory for all commercial consignments on 31 March 2012.
17 The 
system's licensing module is expected to be come operational in 2014, enabling the competent 
authorities to issue relevant licences and permits electronically.  
3.2.  Customs clearance of imports is on the basis of: a single administrative document 
(declaration); suppliers' invoices or a bill of sight; a value declaration (Form 61) for items valued 
above EC$2,500; and a bill of lading or ai rway bill. Where applicable, the supporting 
documentation must also include an import licence and/or permit, a certificate of origin, and a 
veterinary or health certificate. Commercial goods below the threshold of EC$600 and goods for 
personal use valued up to EC$2,500 may be declared  with a simplified customs declaration. There 
are no mechanisms for pre-arrival processing of import-related documents or for advance rulings. 
3.3.  Import declarations are assigned into on e of four lanes: green (immediate release), blue 
(post-clearance check), yellow (documentary check), and red (documentary and physical checks). The Customs and Excise Department reserves the right to examine consignments, even if they 
have been assigned to the green lane. The main sele ctivity criteria are: the importer's profile, the 
country of origin, and the type of good being im ported. According to the authorities, between 40% 
and 70% of declarations are assigned to the red lane. 
3.4.  The use of customs brokers is optional. Acco rding to the authorities, the legislation governing 
the licensing and operations of customs brokers has not been enforced, as the Customs Brokers 
and Customs Clerks Commission stipulated therein is yet to be operationalized.
18 The legally 
prescribed fees and charges for a customs broker's regular services, some of which expressed as a 
percentage of the customs value, also await prop er enforcement; in the interim, customs brokers 
reportedly compete freely for clients.  
3.5.  As from February 2012, clearance under bond prior to the payment of customs duties is only 
possible for: perishable goods; raw materials imported by the manufacturing sector; goods 
qualifying for concessions; and special circumstances attested by the Comptroller of Customs.19 
According to the authorities, this measure was implemented due to frequent abuse of the bond facilities by importers seeking to delay the payment of duties. St. Lucia has introduced an 
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme, in accordance with relevant WCO guidelines; 
there were 18 AEOs in February 2014.  
3.6.  The 2013 World Bank Doing Business survey  estimates the average time for customs 
clearance and technical control at one day.
20 According to the authorities, only consignments 
selected for physical examination would take, on average, 24 hours to clear customs. 
3.1.2  Tariffs 3.7.  Taxes on international trade accounted fo r roughly half of fiscal revenue throughout the 
review period (Table 3.1). Import duties remain  a major source of government revenue, although 
their share of the total declined somewhat between 2007 and 2012.  
                                               
17 Customs and Excise Department Notice No. 10 of 21 November 2011. Viewed at: http://www. 
customs.gov.lc/notices/notice_10_ 2011.pdf. 
18 Customs Brokers and Customs Clerks Act No. 3 of 2001 and Statutory Instrument 4/2006 (Customs 
Brokers and Customs Clerks Regulations) of 23 January 2006. 
19 Customs and Excise Department Notice No.11 of 21 November 2011. Viewed at: http://www. 
customs .gov.lc/notices/notice_11_2011.pdf. 
20 World Bank online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/ st~-lucia/#trading-across-borders. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Table 3.1 Tax revenue by main sources, 2007-12 
(EC$ million and %) 
  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Total 656.5 725.3 724.4 728.3 764.3 744.5
  (%) 
Taxes on income 26.9 31.1 31.2 31.0 32.1 30.4
Taxes on property  0.7 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.6
Taxes on goods and services 17.8 18.2 14.9 17.2 16.5 19.8
   VAT (domestic) n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 2.8
   Excise tax (domestic) 0.5 0.6 1.3 1.7 1.7 1.4
   Consumption tax (domestic)  1.4 1.0 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.8
   Hotel occupancy tax  4.7 5.2 3.4 4.6 4.4 4.9
   Other taxes 11.7 12.1 10.6 11.8 11.3 11.3
Taxes on international trade and transactions 54.5 50.3 53.3 51.4 51.0 49.3
   Import duty  16.1 14.9 12.9 13.5 13.8 13.6
   Customs service charge  10.2 9.3 8.4 8.3 9.0 9.3
   VAT (imports) n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 5.3
   Excise tax (imports) 6.1 5.3 3.6 9.3 9.0 7.2
   Consumption tax (imports)  17.3 16.0 22.6 15.2 14.7 9.9
   Environmental levy 3.0 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.1 1.6
   Security charge 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1
   Other taxes 1.8 2.4 3.5 2.8 2.1 2.1
 
n.a. Not applicable.  Source: WTO Secretariat calculations, based on da ta provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.8.  St. Lucia grants at least MFN treatment to all its trading partners. It applies the CARICOM 
Common External Tariff (CET) with certain except ions, which must be approved by CARICOM's 
Council on Trade and Economic Development (Common Report). According to the authorities, most 
CET exceptions are applied for development and disaster recovery purposes. During the review period, in the framework of COTED-approved CET suspensions, St. Lucia reduced its applied rates 
to zero on certain pharmaceuticals (HS 30.04) an d (for a two-year period) on some foodstuffs.
21 
3.9.  The 2013 applied MFN customs tariff is based on the 2007 version of the Harmonized 
Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), and comprises 6,328 lines at 11-digit level. 
Apart from eight tariff lines that carry specific rates,  the tariff is ad valorem  (Table 3.2). There are 
no seasonal tariffs or tariff quotas, but 14 tariff lines are subject to quantitative restrictions through import licensing (section 3.1.5). 
Table 3.2 Structure of MFN Tariff, 2006 and 2013  
 2006 2013 
Total number of tariff lines 6,352 6,328 
Non-ad valorem  tariffs (% of all tariff lines) 0.1 0.1 
Non-ad valorem  with no AVEs (% of all tariff lines) 0.1 0.0 
Duty-free tariff lines (% of all tariff lines) 39.1 39.6 
Dutiable lines tariff average rate (%) 16.4 16.0 
Simple average tariff (%) 10.0 9.7 
   WTO agriculture 16.7 17.8 
   WTO non-agriculture (including petroleum) 8.6 8.0 
   Agriculture, hunti ng, forestry and fishing (ISIC 1) 20.7 22.0 
   Mining and quarrying (ISIC 2) 5.5 4.9 
   Manufacturing (ISIC 3) 9.3 8.9 
   First stage of processing 15.9 16.8 
   Semi-processed products 4 4.1 
                                               
21 The HS tariff lines concerned were 0406.30.00; 0713.10.20; 0713.39.00; 0713.40.00; 2009.60.30; 
2009.70.20; 2106.90.70; and 3401.20.90. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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   2006 2013 
   Fully processed products 11.6 10.9 
Domestic tariff "peaks" (% of all tariff lines)a 6.3 8.4 
International tariff "peaks" (% of all tariff lines)b 28.7 28.5 
Overall standard deviation 12.1 12.0 
Nuisance applied rates (% of tariff lines)c 0.1 0.1 
Bound tariff lines (% of all tariff lines) 99.5 99.5 
a Domestic tariff peaks are all rates exceedin g three times the overall average applied rate. 
b International tariff peaks are all rates exceeding 15%. c Nuisance rates are greater than 0% but inferior or equal to 2%. 
Source: WTO Secretariat calculations, based on da ta provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.10.  The computed average tariff rates for St. Lucia are biased downwards, due to the exclusion 
of the 5% customs service charge (section 3.1.3) , which continues to boost the overall level of 
border protection. Subject to these limitations, the 2013 simple average applied MFN tariff is 9.7% 
(down from 10% in 2006). Some 39.6% of all tari ff lines are duty free (up from 39.1% in 2006) 
and 8.5% of all lines carry rates of over 25% (Chart 3.1).  
Chart 3.1 Frequency distribution of MFN tariff rates, 2013 
(39.6%)
(23.1%)
(3.5%)(5.3%)(18.9%)
(1.2%) (1.5%)(7.0%)
(0.0%)
0102030405060708090100
05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,000
Duty free ≤ 5 ≤ 10 ≤ 15 20 25 30 >30 Empty lineNumber of tariff linesaPer cent
Cumulative per cent
Number of lines (% of total)
 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat calculations, based on da ta provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.11.  Overall tariff dispersion remains unchanged, with ad valorem  rates ranging from zero to 
70% (Table 3.3); some 23% and 19% of tariff lines carry rates of 5% and 20%, respectively. Tariff protection remains most pronounced in agriculture: the average applied rate on agricultural 
products (WTO definition) is 17.8% (up from 16.7% in 2006), whereas the corresponding average 
for non-agricultural products is 8% (down from 8. 6%). About 52% of agricultural tariff lines (ISIC 
definition) carry rates greater than 25%, while 20.5% of tariffs on manufactures have a 20% rate (Chart 3.2). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Chart 3.2 Distribution of the MFN tariff by ISCI sector, 2013 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.12.  In aggregate, the tariff depicts mixed escalation: semi-processed products are subject to a 
much lower average applied rate than fully processed products, whereas raw materials attract the 
highest average rate (Table 3.3). The high overall protection of raw materials may render some 
competitive inputs inaccessible, which tends to discourage investment in processing industries. Thus, the tariff structure may not be conducive to diversification of economic activity through 
value addition at the semi-processed stage. 
Table 3.3 Summary analysis of MFN tariff, 2013  
Description No. of lines Average 
(%) Range (%) Coefficient of 
variation  
(CV) Final 
bound 
average  
(%) 
Total 6,328 9.7 0 - 101.1 1.2 65.8
HS 01-24 1,144 20.2 0 - 101.1 0.8 118.2
HS 25-97 5,184 7.3 0 - 70 1.2 54.6
By WTO category   
WTO Ag riculture 1,047 17.8 0 - 101.1 0.9 116.9
 - Animals and products thereof 149 15.4 0 - 40 1.1 120.8
 - Dairy products 24 5.8 0 - 20 1.1 100.0
 - Fruit, vegetables and plants 307 22.6 0 - 40 0.7 117.8
 - Coffee and tea 29 17.4 5 - 40 0.8 102.1
 - Cereals and preparations 126 14.8 0 - 40 0.8 110.2
 - Oil seeds, fats, and oils 95 17.3 0 - 40 1.0 125.1
 - Sugars and confectionary 23 19.7 0 - 40 0.8 107.8
 - Beverages, spirits and tobacco 136 26.4 0 - 101.1 0.6 130.8
 - Cotton 6 0.0 0 - 0 .. 100.0
 - Other agricultural products n.e.s. 152 8.2 0 - 40 1.5 106.8
WTO Non-agriculture (incl. petroleum) 5,281 8.0 0 - 70 1.3 55.6
 - WTO Non-agriculture (excl. petroleum) 5,255 8.0 0 - 70 1.3 55.4
 - - Fish and fishery products 175 26.9 0 - 40 0.6 116.8
 - - Minerals and metals 1,119 5.5 0 - 30 1.5 52.4
 - - Chemicals and photographic supplies 1,010 6.3 0 - 40 1.0 52.4
 - - Wood, pulp, paper and furniture 329 8.7 0 - 25 0.9 65.0
 - - Textiles 638 6.0 0 - 30 1.2 52.4
 - - Clothing 277 19.9 5 - 20 0.1 53.3
WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Description No. of lines Average 
(%) Range (%) Coefficient of 
variation  
(CV) Final 
bound 
average  
(%) 
 - - Leather, rubber, footwear and travel 
goods 179 9.4 0 - 25 0.9 51.4
 - - Non-electric machinery 588 2.8 0 - 30 2.7 51.3
 - - Electric machinery 267 7.6 0 - 30 1.4 50.0
 - - Transport equipment 187 8.6 0 - 35 1.5 63.3
 - - Non-agriculture articles n.e.s. 486 12.2 0 - 70 1.1 55.3
 - Petroleum 26 7.3 0 - 25 1.1 104.6
By ISIC sector a   
Agriculture and fisheries 411 22.0 0 - 40 0.8 113.4
Mining 107 4.9 0 - 30 1.5 52.1
Manufacturing 5,809 8.9 0 - 101.1 1.2 62.9
By HS section   
  01  Live animals & products 330 20.7 0 - 40 0.9 118.9
  02  Vegetable products 382 20.1 0 - 40 0.9 117.8
  03  Fats & oils 53 26.4 0 - 40 0.7 141.4
  04  Prepared food etc. 379 19.0 0 - 101.1 0.7 114.9
  05  Minerals 191 5.1 0 - 25 1.1 58.9
  06  Chemical & products 941 6.1 0 - 40 1.0 54.8
  07  Plastics & rubbe r 244 7.4 0 - 25 1.0 51.4
  08  Hides & skins 80 8.3 0 - 20 1.1 56.4
  09  Wood & articles 133 10.5 0 - 20 0.6 53.8
  10  Pulp, paper etc. 172 5.9 0 - 25 1.4 53.5
  11  Textile & articles 902 9.8 0 - 20 0.9 54.1
  12  Footwear, headgea r 60 15.8 0 - 20 0.4 50.0
  13  Articles of stone 186 9.0 0 - 25 0.9 51.5
  14  Precious stones, etc. 62 15.5 0 - 30 1.0 73.1
  15  Base metals & products 712 4.4 0 - 30 1.6 50.8
  16  Machinery 875 4.4 0 - 30 2.0 50.9
  17  Transport equipment 198 8.3 0 - 35 1.6 62.5
  18  Precision equipment 229 8.2 0 - 30 1.2 56.8
  19  Arms and ammunition 24 39.6 0 - 70 0.7 77.4
  20  Miscellaneous manuf 167 14.3 0 - 20 0.5 74.5
  21  Works of art, etc. 8 20.6 20 - 25 0.1 50.0
By stage of processing   
First stage of processing 801 16.8 0 - 40 1.1 96.2
Semi-processed products 1,860 4.1 0 - 40 1.3 53.2
Fully-processed products 3,667 10.9 0 - 101.1 1.1 65.7
.. Not available. 
a ISIC (Rev.2) classification, excluding electricity (1 line). Source: WTO Secretariat calculations, based on da ta provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.13.  St. Lucia has bound 99.5% of its tariff lines.  Agricultural products (WTO definition), and fats 
and oils, were bound at a ceiling level of 100%, with some exceptions above that rate. The average bound rate for agricultural products is 116.9%, against 55.6% for non-agricultural products. Three lines carry applied MFN rates (70%) that exceed bound levels (50%), but  the 
computed  ad valorem  equivalents of non- ad valorem  duties are below the corresponding bound 
rates. In the Uruguay Round, St. Lucia left blank the column "other duties and charges" in its schedule, which in practice is equivalent to having entered "zero".
22 The authorities consider that, 
among taxes applied on imports, only the customs service charge falls into the WTO category of 
other duties and charges; they intend to make best endeavours to eliminate it.  
                                               
22 WTO document WT/DS302/R, 26 November 2004. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  3.1.3  Other charges affecting imports 
3.14.  A customs service charge (CSC), at the rate of 5% on the c.i.f. value of imports, remains in 
place; goods originating from other OECS/CARICOM countries are not exempt from it.23 Statutory 
exemptions from the CSC apply to, inter alia , inputs and packaging materi als imported by certified 
local manufacturers, goods imported by the Government and public institutions, and certain goods 
used by approved airlines. During the review period, temporary exemptions were also granted on a range of building materials (until 8 February 2014).
24  
3.15.  St. Lucia introduced value added tax (VAT) in October 2012, to replace five indirect taxes: 
consumption tax, environmental protection levy, motor vehicle rental fee, mobile telephone tax, and hotel accommodation tax. VAT registration with the Inland Revenue Department is compulsory for businesses with annual gross turnover reaching  the EC$180,000 threshold. VAT is charged at a 
general rate of 15% on the supply of services and goods, including imports. A reduced rate of 8% 
applies, until April 2014, to accommodation services supplied by a hotel, and to food and beverages supplied by a restaurant; thereafter the rate will increase to 9.5%.
25 Zero-rated 
supplies of goods and services include live animals (other than pets); fuel26; fresh eggs; uncooked 
pasta; ventilated boxes for transport of unprocess ed agricultural products; water and sewerage; 
electrical energy; and all exports. A range of goods and services are VAT-exempt, including 
financial services; medical services; care servic es to children and aged or disabled persons; 
veterinary services (other than for pets); education services and materials; postal services supplied by the State; agricultural and fishing inputs; and numerous food items.
27 An exemption 
from VAT was also granted to some tourism-related segments, including water sports operators 
and heritage tours providers, in September 2013; it is to be reviewed in April 2014. 
3.16.  VAT is levied on the c.i.f. value of imports plus all duties and taxes payable upon 
importation. The tax base for domestically supplied goods and services is the fair market value of 
the supply, typically reflected in the sale price. 
3.17.  As at July 2013, goods classifiable under 121 tariff headings remained subject to excise tax; 
the main product categories were alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, fuels, and motor vehicles 
and parts. The rates applicable to some fuels have been amended frequently, generally following a 
downward trend.28 Most excise taxes are specific or ad valorem , depending on the good. Since 
2012, certain motor vehicles are subject to compound rates, with the specific component being linked to the vehicle's age: EC$1,000 for a new vehicle; EC$4,000 for a used vehicle up to five 
years old; or EC$6,000 for a used vehicle over five years old.
29 Excise taxes are assessed on  the 
wholesale price of domestically produced goods; for imports the tax base is the c.i.f. value without addition of the tariff or any other duties and charges.  
3.18.  In November 2011, St. Lucia introduced a 1% security tax on the c.i.f. value of imports; the 
tax expired on 31 December 2012.
30 The schedule to the Act provided for exemptions on some 
43 classes of goods. According to the authorities, lax enforcement of this tax resulted in modest 
overall revenue (some EC$32,000). 
3.19.  Goods originating from other CARICOM countries are imported tariff-free, except where 
St. Lucia has made use of the CARICOM Treaty's  safeguard provisions. A variety of programmes 
grant exemptions from payment of (one or a ll of) import duty, CSC, and VAT (or the taxes 
replaced by it). The beneficiaries of these initiatives include certain industries and sectors31; sports 
                                               
23 Customs (Service Charge) Act No. 10 of 1989 and its subsequent amendments. 
24 Customs (Service Charge) (Amendment of Schedule) Orders No. 78 (06/08/2012), No. 148 
(22/11/2012), and No. 14 (25/02/2013). 
25 Government of St. Lucia (2013). 
26 HS headings 2710.11.30; 2710.19.10; 2710.19.20; 2710.19.40; 2711.11.00; 2711.19.11; 
2711.19.12; and 2711.19.14. 
27 Value Added Tax Act No. 7 of 10 July 2012, as amended by Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act 
No. 10 of 28 September 2012. Viewed at: http://www.vat.gov.lc/resources/legislation/vat_act.php. 
28 Excise Tax (Amendment of Schedule 1) (No. 4) Order No. 55 of 29 July 2013. 
29 Excise Tax (Amendment of Schedule 1) (No. 8) Order of 28 September 2012. 
30 Security Tax Act No. 21 of 9 November 2011. 
31 In 2011-13, beneficiary sectors and industries included: air transport (airlines), car rental, 
construction, electricity supply, farm ing and fishing, financial intermediation, manufacturing, taxi operators, WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  and cultural events; medical, charitable, and religious institutions; returning residents and 
diplomats; diplomatic institutions and agencies; and government and statutory bodies. According to the Customs and Excise Department, forgone revenue from taxes on imports (customs duties and other taxes) was EC$3.35 billion in 2011, EC$2.88 billion in 2012 and EC$2.45 billion in the 
first nine months of 2013; these figures were not confirmed by the Ministry of Finance.  
3.1.4  Customs valuation and rules of origin 3.20.  St. Lucia has not submitted any notifications on customs valuation to the WTO.
32 In 
principle, the primary method of valuation is the transaction value of the imported goods; when 
necessary, recourse to alternative methods follows the hierarchy set out in the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement. Freight and insurance costs ar e included in the customs value to the extent 
that they have been incurred by the buyer; imports are not required to have insurance coverage. 
St. Lucia does not use minimum or reference prices for customs valuation purposes. The 
authorities estimate that the transaction method is used for some 90% of imports. Second-hand motor vehicles undergo a special valuation check pr ior to release, due to frequent under-reporting. 
3.21.  The customs value of imports may be ve rified and, if necessary, adjusted by the 
Comptroller of Customs within one year of entry in to St. Lucia. Import duties are assessed on the 
transaction value, pending the result of the investigation. Valuation disputes may be heard by the 
Comptroller of Customs or by Customs Appeal Comm issioners; matters involving a question of law 
or a question of mixed law and fact may be appealed to the High Court and, subsequently, the Court of Appeal. The assessed rate of duty must be paid prior to disputing the assessment. 
3.22.  St. Lucia has not submitted to the WTO any notifications on rules of origin.
33 The authorities 
affirm that no rules of origin have been established for non-preferential purposes. St. Lucia applies 
CARICOM preferential rules of origin  (Common Report) on the basis of HS 2007, although it may 
invoke safeguard provisions for imports from the more developed CARICOM countries. Direct 
shipment between CARICOM member countries is not a requirement for conferring originating 
status to imports, provided that the goods remain under customs control and do not enter the commerce of the transit country. The Department of Customs issues certificates of origin for goods 
exported from St. Lucia under reciprocal and non-re ciprocal preferential regimes; the certificates 
are free of charge. 
3.1.5  Import prohibitions, restrictions and licensing 3.23.  St. Lucia's latest notification of import licensing legislation and replies to the relevant 
questionnaire date from 2013.
34 Non-automatic licensing requirements continue to apply on a 
number of goods, depending on their country of origin (Table 3.4). The additional list of restricted 
imports, subject to special (non-automatic) permission regardless of their origin, remains 
unchanged since St. Lucia's last Review.35 The authorities affirm that non-automatic import 
licensing is used for national security, public heal th, public safety, plant and animal health, moral, 
development, and financial needs considerations. The granting of import licences for poultry 
(eight tariff lines) and pork (six tariff lines) remains subject to domestic purchase requirements of 
25% and 40% of the imported quantity, respective ly; these requirements are applied regardless of 
the origin of imports.  
3.24.  In general, the granting of licences is administered by the Ministry of Commerce; importers 
must seek approval from at least one additional competent entity in the following cases: animals, 
meat, meat products, plants, plant material, and chain saws, Ministry of Agriculture36; pesticides, 
Pesticides Control Board; controlled drugs, Ministry of Health (Chief Medical Officer);  rubber tyres, 
Ministry of Transport; and firearms and ammunition s, Ministry of Internal Security (Commissioner 
                                                                                                                                               
telecommunications, tourism, and yachting. Goods imported  in barrels or similarly sized packages, typically in-
kind remittances, also bene fited from such concessions. 
32 WTO document G/VAL/W/232, 16 September 2013. 
33 WTO document G/RO/W/144, 20 September 2013. 
34 WTO documents G/LIC/N/1/LCA/4/Corr.1, 19 September 2013; and G/LIC/N/3/LCA/6, 
17 September 2013. 
35 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. 
36 An export permit from the country of origin is a prer equisite for obtaining a licence to import plants or 
animals into St. Lucia.  WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  of Police). Imports of left-hand drive motor vehicles remain subject to special permits issued by 
Cabinet, while imports of radio and television tran smitting equipment require type approval by the 
National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (section 4.3.2). Importers are expected to apply for the relevant licence or permit prior to the goods' arrival and must present a certificate of 
origin for non-CARICOM originating items.
37 Licences are issued at no cost to the applicant; they 
are non-transferable, typically valid for one month, and allotted on a first-come-first-served basis.  
3.25.  Decisions not to grant a licence must be notified to the applicants, with details on the 
reason for refusal. Appeals may be made to the Permanent Secretary or to the Minister of 
Commerce; redress may also be sought through the Civil Court and, ultimately, through the Caribbean Court of Justice, if the infringement is in contravention of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.  
Table 3.4 Products subject to import licensing 
Goods originating outside the OECS or CARICOM
Baby chicks, point of lay pullets (01.05)a; meat and edible meat offal (Chapter 2); fresh, frozen or chilled 
fish (HS 0301.03.04); smoked fish (HS 0305.41.00-0305.49.90); crustaceans and molluscs fresh, chilled, 
frozen or salted etc. (HS 03.06; 03. 07); fresh milk (HS 0401.10.00); eggs (HS 04.07; 04.08); natural honey 
(HS 0409.00.00); fresh or chilled potatoes (HS 07.01); leeks and other alliaceous vegetables (HS 0703.90.00); cauliflowers and headed broccoli (HS 0704.10.00; 0704.10.10); cabbages (HS 0704.90.10); cabbage lettuce (HS 0705.11.00); ca rrots and turnips (HS 0706.10.00; 0706.10.10; and 
0706.10.90); cucumbers (HS 0707.00.10); fresh or chilled vegetables (HS 07.08; 07.09); arrowroot, sweet potatoes and other similar roots and tubers with high  starch, fresh or dried, whole or sliced (HS 07.14)
a; 
coconuts, cashew nuts fresh or dried (HS 08.01)a; bananas including plantains, fresh or dried 
(HS 08.03.00)a; pineapple, avocadoes, mangoes,  guavas, fresh or dried (HS 08.04)a; citrus fruits, fresh or 
dried (HS 08.05); roasted ground coffee (HS 0901.21.00-0901.22.00); pepper, pimento (HS 09.04); vanilla 
(HS 0905.00.00); cinnamon (HS 09.06)a; cloves (HS 0907.00.00); nutmeg, mace (HS 09.08)a; thyme, 
saffron, bay leaves, ginger, cu rry and other spices (HS 09.10)a; rice (HS 10.06); wheat flour (HS 1101.00); 
edible oil (HS 15.07-15.15); margarine, imitation lard and other prepared edible fats (HS 15.17); sausages 
and the like of meat, meat offal or animal blood (H S 16.01); other prepared or preserved meat of offal 
(HS 16.02); chicken patties (HS 1602.32.00); other patties (HS 1602.39.00); beef patties (HS 1602.50.90); 
prepared or preserved fish (burge rs, fingers and patties) (HS 16.04)a; crustaceans and molluscs, prepared or 
preserved (HS 16.05); cane and beet sugar and chemic al pure sucrose in solid form (HS 17.01); pasta 
products (HS 19.02); cakes (HS 1905.90.90); jams, fruit jellies, marmalades (HS 20.07); mango chutney (HS 2008.99.10); fruit and vegetable juices, except preparations for infants (HS 20.09); coconut milk and 
coconut cream (HS 2106.90.90)a; baking powder (HS 2102.30.00); tomato ketchup and tomato sauce 
(HS 2103.20.10); pepper sauce (HS 2103.90.10); browning, Bar B-Q sauce and mixed seasoning 
(HS 2103.90.90)a; ice cream (HS 2105.00.10); waters, aerated beverages, malt and other non-alcoholic 
carbonated drinks and orange squash (HS 22.02); beer (HS 2203.00.10); cigarettes (HS 2402.20.00); other 
tobacco products (HS 2402.90.00); oxygen in cylinder (HS 2804.40.00); carbon dioxide in cylinder (HS 2811.21.00); acetylene in cylinder (HS 2901.29.20); soaps (toilet, medicated, other) (HS 3401.11.00; 3401.11.10; 3401.11.90); bleaches (liquid and other) (HS 3402.20.40; 3402.20.50); candles 
(HS 34.06.00)
a; tyres remould, recapp ed, rethreaded (HS 40.12)a; wooden mouldings, (HS 44.09)a; wooden 
doors, except micro fibre doors (HS 4418.20.00); mats and matting of vegetable materials (HS 4601.21.00-
4601.99.00); baskets and waste paper bins of vegetable plaiting materials (HS 46.02)a; toilet paper 
(HS 4818.10.00); cardboard boxes (HS 48.19)a; fibre mats of vegetable pl aiting materials (HS 46.01; 
57.02)a; girls and ladies panties, half-slips and nighties (HS 61.08; 62.08)a; brassieres (HS 6212.10.00); 
concrete blocks (HS 6810.11.00); galvanized sheets (HS 72.08-72.12)a; aluminium windows and doors 
(HS 7610.10.00; 76.11)a; solar water heaters (HS 8419.19.10-8419.19.20); domestic and commercial 
meters for measuring volumes of water (HS 9028.20.00); chairs and other seats (HS 94.01); other furniture 
(HS 94.03); mattresses (HS 94.04)a; and gambling machines (HS 9504.30.00; 9504.90.30).  
Goods originating from the OECS or CARICOM
Fresh, frozen or chilled fish (HS 03.01-03.04); smoked fish (HS 0305.41.00 - 0305.49.90)a; crustaceans and 
molluscs fresh, chilled, frozen or salted etc. (HS 03.06-03.07); fresh milk, not including UHT milk 
(HS 0401.10.00); rice (HS 10.06); wheat flour (HS 1101.00); chicken patties (HS 1602.32.00); beef patties 
(HS 1602.50.90); prepared or preserved fish (burgers, fingers and patties) (HS 16.04)a; cane and beet 
sugar (HS 17.01); ice cream (HS 2105.00.10); concrete blocks (HS 6810.11.00); and domestic and 
commercial meters for measuring volumes of water (HS 9028.20.00).  
                                               
37 According to the authorities, most applications are submitted after the goods' arrival at customs. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Goods originating outside the OECS  
Curry powder (HS 0910.99.30); pasta products (HS 19.02); waters, aerated beverages, malt and other non- 
alcoholic carbonated drinks and orange squash (HS 22.02); malt beverages (HS 2202.90.20); beer 
(HS 2203.00.10); candles (HS 34.06)a; oxygen in cylinders (HS 2804.40.00); carbon dioxide in cylinders; 
(HS 2811.21.00); acetylene in cylinders (HS 2901.29.20); solar water heaters (HS 8419.19.10–
8419.19.20); chairs and other seats of wood and upholstered fabric (HS 94.01)a; and other furniture of wood 
and upholstered fabric (HS 94.03)a. 
a Applies only to the named goods, not the general class of goods identified by that tariff heading. 
Source: External Trade (Restricted Imports) (Amendment) Order No. 118 of 28 September 2012. 
3.26.  There were no changes to import prohibitions during the review period. The list of prohibited 
imports still includes matches containing white or yellow phosphorus, and shaving brushes made in 
or exported from Japan.38 A number of import prohibitions on SPS grounds remain in place 
(section 3.1.8).  
3.1.6  Contingency measures  3.27.  St. Lucia has not submitted to the WTO any notifications regarding anti-dumping and 
countervailing measures, and the relevant legislation, since its last Review. No responses have 
been provided to questions posed in 1996 regard ing its original notification of pertinent 
legislation.
39 There have been no amendments to the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) 
Ordinance No. 25 since its entry into force on 19 December 1964. The authorities affirm that no 
anti-dumping actions were taken during the review period. 
3.28.  No notifications on safeguards legislation or actions taken have been made to the WTO 
Committee on Safeguards since 1996. St. Lucia has no domestic legislation on safeguards, but 
may invoke the provisions of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (Article 150) to restrict imports from other CARICOM countries and third countries. St. Lucia did not apply any safeguard measures under CARICOM rules during 2007-13. 
3.1.7  Technical regulations, conf ormity assessment, and standards 
3.29.  Between January 2007 and October 2013, St. Lucia notified to the Committee on Technical 
Barriers to Trade one CARICOM and three national standards.
40 In line with its transition to the 
international system of units, St. Lucia also notified its intention to prohibit the importation of 
pre-packaged goods with labels expressed only in British imperial or U.S. customary units; measuring devices or instruments incompatible with metric standards and/or specifications; and 
road transportation equipment with speedometers and odometers denominated only in miles.
41 As 
at November 2013, the Legal and Standard Units of Measurement Order was yet to be enacted. 
3.30.  The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) is the national standards body and the national 
metrology institute. Its responsibilities include: developing and promoting standards and codes of 
practice; ascertaining quality through inspection, testing and certification; and carrying out all 
legal metrology activities in St. Lucia. The SLBS serves as national enquiry point and notification body under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers  to Trade; it has accepted the Code of Good 
Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Applic ation of Standards contained in Annex 3 to the 
Agreement.
42 The SLBS is a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 
the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT), and the CARICOM Regional Organization for 
Standards and Quality (CROSQ). The Bureau has forged partnerships and alliances with the 
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the British Standards Institute (BSI).  
                                               
38 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. 
39 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. 
40 WTO documents G/TBT/N/LCA/48, 22 January 2009; and G/TBT/N/LCA/46 and G/TBT/N/LCA/47, 
14 April 2008. 
41 WTO document G/TBT/N/LCA/49/Rev.1, 8 February 2010. 
42 WTO document G/TBT/CS/N/135, 6 November 2001. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  3.31.  National standards are prepared by technical committees, upon request from interested 
parties. Whenever possible, national standards repl icate or are based on international and regional 
ones, or, in the absence of other references, thos e of major trading partners. A 60-day period is 
reserved for public consultations on draft stan dards; those intended to be made compulsory 
(technical regulations) are notified to the WTO and require a regulatory impact assessment by the 
office of the Minister of Commerce prior to adoption. Standards are adopted by the SLBS Council, comprising members of both the public and private sector; technical regulations are declared by 
the Minister of Commerce, usually on recommendation from the Council and with the formal 
concurrence of any other relevant Minister.
43 National standards are normally reviewed and 
updated every five years; the procedure for revisions and amendments is the same as for preparation of standards. 
3.32.  In January 2014, there were 104 standards and 42 technical regulations in force in 
St. Lucia; in 46 cases an international standard was adopted, either fully or with some adaptation. The main categories of products and processes covered by active standards are: amusement rides 
and devices; beverages; building materials; chemicals; consumer products; fresh produce; 
furniture; gaseous fuels; information and documentation; labelling; lighting; quality & quality management; tourism; and tyres.  
3.33.  St. Lucia does not have a national laboratory accreditation body; it recognizes accreditations 
granted by the accreditation bodies of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Product-testing is the 
shared responsibility of the Ministry of Health an d Labour Relations; the Ministry of Ministry of 
Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries and Rura l Development; and the Caribbean Environmental 
Health Institute. Type approval is accepted in determining conformity to a standard. Certificates of 
conformity issued by accredited overseas bodies are recognized, in principle. 
3.34.  The SLBS is the only certification body in St. Lucia; it may only grant certification against an 
existing standard, generally following thorou gh testing, and plant and system assessment.
44 The 
SLBS implements a conformity-assessment programme for technical regulations; assessment procedures depend on the level of risk associated with a particular product or service. The risk 
level is determined as part of the regulatory impact assessment carried out as a prerequisite for 
the technical regulation's adoption. In general, suppliers' declarations of conformity are accepted for low-risk products. High-risk products are typically subject to third-party conformity assessments, although first-party assessments, from suppliers who have certified quality and 
safety management systems in place, are also accepted.  
3.35.  Enforcement of technical regulations is carried out by the SLBS through systematic market 
surveillance conducted at least twice a year. SLBS staff members are also present at ports of entry 
to check compliance with technical regulations. The relevant imported goods may be subject to 
documentary checks and/or physical inspections prior to their local sale and distribution, and locally manufactured goods may be inspected at the plant. Surveillance activities also involve 
spot-checks of all items commercialized on the domestic retail market.  
3.1.8  Sanitary and phytosanitary measures 3.36.  As at November 2013, St. Lucia had not made any notifications to the SPS Committee. The 
relevant national legislation predates the SPS Agreement and, inter alia , confers the Chief 
Veterinary Officer authority to adopt SPS measures without Ministerial or Cabinet approval. 
St. Lucia does not keep records that would provide an overview of SPS measures in force, or those introduced since 2007.  
3.37.  The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries, and Rural Development (MAFFRD) 
remains the enquiry point on SPS matters. St. Lucia is a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and a contracting party to the Internatio nal Plant Protection Convention (IPPC); it is 
not a member of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The SLBS is the national contact 
point for the Codex Alimentarius Commission; it also provides food-safety certificates for certain foods. 
                                               
43 The declaration is done through the office of th e Attorney General, as per the Standards Act No. 14 
of 1990. 
44 The SLBS certification programme is not accred ited, but is conducted in accordance with the 
requirements of ISO Guides No. 28 and No. 65. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  3.38.  According to the authorities, the SPS regime responds to identified pest and disease 
outbreaks. In principle, St. Lucia's SPS measures are based on relevant IPPC, Codex, or OIE standards, guidelines, or recommendations; trad ing partners affected by an SPS measure are 
informed by St. Lucia through peer-to-peer contacts. The CARICOM Animal and Animal Products 
Trade Committee conducts risk assessments for the entire common market; there is no equivalent 
arrangement for plants. While the authorities of CARICOM countries operate as a collective to overcome capacity constraints, SPS measures adopted in another member country are not 
automatically implemented in St. Lucia. 
3.39.  The MAFFRD, through its Veterinary and Livestock Services Division (VLSD), its Crop 
Protection and Quarantine Unit (CPQU), and its Department of Fisheries, is the main entity responsible for the implementation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
45 Importers of plants, 
animals and fish, and material, products, and by -products thereof, must apply for an import 
permit from the relevant unit within the MAFFRD.  In the assessment of applications, the main 
deciding factor is the disease status of the exporting country; obtaining import permits for plants 
and animals requires presentation of the correspon ding export permit from the country of origin.46 
In addition to a valid import permit, importation is conditional on the provision of a phytosanitary or veterinary-health certificate issued by the competent authority of the exporting country; no 
systematic testing is carried out at points of entry into St. Lucia, but imports are inspected to 
ascertain their integrity and quality. Live an imals transiting through St. Lucia must be 
accompanied by a transfer permit issued by the VLSD.
47  
3.40.  Imports prohibited on SPS grounds include: meat from animals treated with hormones; 
honey; yams and sweet potatoes; bananas and plantains (all parts and handicraft items); 
unprocessed plant material from coconut, citrus, and bananas; plants rooted in soil; anthurium lilies, heliconia, and ginger lilies; coconut and palms (except polished handicraft items); soil; and 
packing material of grass, straw, etc. Import restrictions, mostly in the form of permits or 
quarantine requirements, continue to apply to a number of products that could potentially pose a pest problem.
48  
3.1.9  Other measures 
3.41.  St. Lucia applies the international trade sanctions adopted by the United Nations and the 
regional bodies to which it belongs. According to the authorities, during the review period there were no barter trade transactions and no agreem ents were signed with foreign governments or 
companies with a view to influencing the volume or value of exports to St. Lucia. No information 
was made available on the existence of any statut ory requirements for the maintenance of reserve 
stocks and the mechanisms for their application. 
3.2  Measures Directly Affecting Exports, and Restrictions 
3.2.1  Export procedures, taxes, and restrictions 3.42.  Exporters are subject to the same registra tion and documentation requirements at Customs 
as importers (section 3.1.1). Exports are not normally inspected, except in cases of suspicions 
regarding drugs or other illegal activity. St. Luci a applies no export taxes or levies; exports are 
also exempt from internal taxes and are zero-rated for VAT purposes.  
3.43.  No new export restrictions or bans have been introduced since 2007. Export-licensing 
requirements remain in place for, inter alia : narcotics and drugs; ginger and dry coconut, and rare 
or threatened plants and animals.
49 Licences for ginger, dry coconut, and exports requiring a 
CITES permit are administered by the MAFFRD, wh ich also issues export permits for fish and 
                                               
45 The Environmental Health Department of the Mini stry of Health and Labour Relations deals with 
environmental issues. The Pesticide Control Board maintains a register of pesticides and issues import permits for pesticides. 
46 Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisherie s, and Rural Development online information. Viewed 
at: http://www.malff.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91&Itemid=106. 
47 Applications for transfer permits ar e subject to a EC$20 application fee. 
48 Plant Protection Act No. 21 of 1988. 
49 Customs (Control And Management) Act of 1990. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  seafood, conditional on provision of the relevant health certificate.50 Seasonal export bans on 
lobster are notified annually by publication in the media; a moratorium on sea eggs fishing (and exportation) remains in place.  
3.2.2  Export subsidies, financing, insurance, and promotion 
3.44.  St. Lucia has not submitted to the WTO Committee on Agriculture any notifications 
regarding export subsidies since 2004. During the review period, St. Lucia provided regular 
notifications to the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures on export incentives 
maintained under its Fiscal Incentives Act (section 3.3.1), Micro and Small Scale Business 
Enterprises Act, and Free Zone Act.
51 St. Lucia is expected to revise its export incentives in order 
to make them WTO-compatible by 31 December 201552; the authorities are planning a complete 
overhaul of the incentives regime (section 3.3.1).  
3.45.  Under the Free Zone Act, No. 10 of 1999, imported merchandise may enter a free zone for 
commercial purposes duty free, and not subjec t to quotas or any import restrictions. 
Import-licensing requirements do not apply, in general, to free zones, with the exception of goods 
restricted for safety or health reasons. Other bene fits include: tax credits related to the number of 
nationals employed on a continuous basis; exemption from income tax during the first five years of operations and the possibility to carry forward to tal net losses accrued during this five-year tax 
holiday and deduct them against profits in the th ree years following the ta x holiday. Individual 
companies operating outside a specific free zone may also be granted free-zone status. The free-zones regime is outside the scope of the Fiscal Incentives Act; a company may benefit from either of these two regimes, but not both. Goods produced  in the free zones may be imported into the 
national customs territory only upon payment of import duties.
53 Other advantages offered in free 
zones include: no restrictions or taxes on foreign exchange transactions; no taxes on dividends for the first 20 years of operation; no work permit  fees for management personnel of Free Zone 
businesses; and no price controls. The Free Zone Management Authority (FZMA) grants licences to 
trade within a designated free-zone area: enterprise s conducting trade and investment activities in 
manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, professional services, and other activities 
may apply to operate within a free zone; licences are specific to a business. 
3.46.  Under the Fiscal Incentives Act and the Micro and Small Scale Business Enterprises Act, 
eligible enterprises continued to qualify for exemptions from income tax on export profits, as well as for export allowances. The authorities affirm that, in practice, exemptions have been granted 
not on export but on total profits. There were no export allowance beneficiaries during 2007-13. 
There are two main industrial free-zone areas in St. Lucia, both located in Vieux Fort; only one is active. A third free zone, located in Cul-de-Sac, is devoted exclusively to the import and 
transhipment of petroleum products. All in  a l l ,  t h e  F r e e  Z o n e  p r o g r a m m e  h a d  s o m e  
24 beneficiaries as at June 2013, of which 4 were manufacturing companies. Since 2007, only two companies, of which one active in manufacturi ng, have benefited for the first time from free-
zone incentives.  
3.47.  In 2011, the role of a Trade Export Prom otion Agency (TEPA) was added to the original 
mandate of St. Lucia's Office of Private Sector Relations (OPSR).
54 T h e  O P S R  f o r m a l l y  b e c a m e  
TEPA in 2013.55 TEPA's mission includes providing inform ation and support to local businesses and 
international buyers; and coordinating and evaluating the national export development strategy. 
The bulk of TEPA's budget for 2011-14 has been  funded by the Caribbean Development Fund, and 
the remainder by the Government of St. Lucia; future funding is expected to come mainly from the 
Government. Most export promotion initiatives to date have been carried out on a cost-sharing 
basis, with TEPA covering between 75% and 85% of the cost. Some 21 local producers have benefited from marketing support and approximately 50 have received assistance to participate in 
                                               
50 The authorities indicate that fish export permit  fees are a function of the quantity exported. 
51 WTO documents G/SCM/N/260/LCA, 16 July 2013; G/SCM/N/243/LCA, 4 October 2012; 
G/SCM/N/226/LCA, 18 October 2011; G/SCM/N/211/LCA, 12 July 2010; G/SCM/N/192/LCA, 8 September 2009; G/SCM/N/177/LCA, 3 September 2008; G/SCM/N/163/LCA, 5 September 2007; and G/SCM/N/160/LCA, 9 July 2007. 
52 WTO document WT/L/691, 31 July 2007. 
53 St. Lucia Customs and Excise online information. Viewed at: http://www.customs.gov.lc/ index2.htm. 
54 The OPSR was established in 1998 to stimulate and promote business growth and development in 
St. Lucia. 
55 Act No. 16 of 2013. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  export promotion events. TEPA has also been bu ilding alliances to develop a national trade 
information network. 
3.48.  There are no publicly funded programmes at the national level providing export credit, 
insurance, or guarantees. Exporters may access the ri sk mitigation facilities  provided by the ECCB 
(Common Report); they may also receive export  promotion support from the OECS Export 
Development Unit (EDU).  
3.3  Measures Affecting Production and Trade 
3.3.1  Incentives 
3.49.  In addition to export-related incentives (section 3.2.2), St. Lucia continues to offer tax and 
tariff concessions to enterprises that meet certain local-value-added (employment) or investment size criteria, and to micro and small-scale enterprises.
56 Tax and tariff relief programmes also 
remain in place for the agri-business and tourism industries (section 4), and special development 
areas57, as well as fuel rebates for fishermen and public transport providers. Incentives are 
granted by the Cabinet of Ministers, on recomm endation by the relevant Ministry or, where 
applicable, the Office of Private Sector Relations. According to the authorities, conditionality on 
local content has been de facto  phased out since 2000. Some 30 to 40 incentive applications were 
allegedly approved annually during 2008-13; only figures on forgone revenue from taxes on 
imports were made available (section 3.1.3).  
3.50.  Concessionary funding and guarantee facilities are available through the Caribbean 
Development Bank. Under the Government's Cons truction Stimulus Programme, concessionary 
loans are being offered by East Caribbean Financ ial Holding Company (ECFH) and First Caribbean 
International Bank. As at April 2013, some 94 loans valued at EC$20.75 million had been 
approved. Certain credit facilities for development purposes (i.e., supporting agriculture, fishing, 
education) are managed by St. Lucia Development Bank, which also provides technical assistance. 
According to the authorities, St. Lucia Development Bank is funded mostly by the Government and 
regional agencies; it has a maximum loan limit of EC$20,000.  
3.51.  The authorities intend to replace the outdated Fiscal Incentives Act of 1974 with a new 
incentives regime, which would make incentives conditional on performance. The new regime is 
also expected to introduce incentives for the services sector. Under the Fiscal Incentives Act, a tax holiday of up to 15 years may be granted for the manufacture of approved products by approved enterprises. The length of the tax holiday depends on the local value added generated or on 
whether the company exports all its production. To this end, companies are classified as: (i) Group 
1 enterprises, where local value is 50% or more of sales, and which may enjoy a tax holiday of up to 15 years; (ii) Group 2 enterprises, with local value of between 25% and 50% of sales, and 
which are granted concessions for up to 12 years; (iii) Group 3 enterprises, with local value of 
between 10% and 25% of sales, and which can benefit from a tax holiday of up to 10 years; and (iv) enclave enterprises, where production is exclusively for export, and which may enjoy a tax 
holiday of up to 15 years. The Act provides for additional benefits in the form of income tax 
rebates at the termination of the tax holiday period. The rebates are based on the company's share of export profits in its total profits. Accordingly, the income tax rebate is: 25% when export profits are between 10% and 20% of total profit s; 35% when they are between 21% and 40%; 
45% when they are between 41% and 60%; and 50 % when export profits exceed 60% of total 
profits. In addition, companies benefiting from a tax holiday under the Fiscal Incentives Act are allowed to import duty-free machinery, equipmen t, spare parts, building materials, raw and 
packaging materials, and other inputs, as appropriate, to be used in eligible enterprises. 
3.52.  The Special Development Areas Act aims at encouraging investment in the areas of 
Vieux-Fort, Anse la Raye, Soufriere, Canaries an d Dennery, which have been designated as such. 
The concessions offered under the Act include:  exemption on import duty, stamp duty and 
consumption tax on inputs for the construction of new buildings and the renovation or refurbishment of existing buildings; exemption on  land and house tax and on stamp duty payable 
by vendors and purchasers on the initial purchase of property; higher tax allowances; and 
accelerated depreciation. Agricultural and fisheries-related activities; tourism projects highlighting 
                                               
56 WTO document G/SCM/N/260/LCA, 16 July 2013. 
57 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  the heritage and natural environment of St. Lucia; residential complexes; commercial or industrial 
buildings; facilities directed towards the improvement or expansion of services to the tourism sector; water based activities; and arts and cultural investments are eligible to benefits under this Act. 
3.53.  Under the Tourism Incentives Act, material and equipment used exclusively in connection 
with the construction and equipping of the tour ism project, may be imported free of customs 
duties. 
3.54.  While a comprehensive services policy has yet to be developed, the Government has 
identified professional services as a priority sector for stimulus.
58 
3.55.  Tourism incentives, in the form of exempt ions from customs duties, corporate tax and (for 
up to 15 years) income taxes, may be granted by Cabinet for approved tourism products (section 
4.3.4.). 
3.3.2  Competition policy and price controls 3.56.  Like the other OECS countries, St. Lucia is contemplating the adoption of harmonized 
competition legislation within CARICOM and the establishment of an enforcement authority at 
OECS level. The extent of national law remains limited, essentially covering practices that may mislead the public, or that may cause confusion with or discredit other enterprises.
59 
3.57.  The Ministry responsible for commerce is resp onsible for the administration of price controls. 
Maximum wholesale and retail mark-ups are set for a range of essential foodstuffs; household and school supplies; fertilizers and soil ameliorants; and herbicides and insecticides. Maximum producer (ex. factory/farm) and retail prices are applied to certain types of bread, flour, rice, 
sugar, and fuels.
60 As from 2012, maximum fuel prices are revised every three months to ensure 
regular pass-through of international price fluc tuations to consumers. In 2013, the authorities 
raised the prices of bulk rice, flour, and sugar61; the Government remains the sole importer of 
these three commodities (section 4.1).  
3.3.3  State-trading and state-owned enterprises 
3.58.  St. Lucia has not submitted to the WTO any notifications regarding state-trading 
enterprises. The Ministry in charge of Commerce re tains exclusive rights over bulk imports of rice, 
sugar, and flour; the Central Tenders Board awards importation contracts through competitive tenders. No import restrictions apply to these commodities when packaged. Two statutory bodies, the St. Lucia Marketing Board and the St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation, remain active on the 
wholesale and retail markets of fruit and vegetabl es, and seafood, respectively. According to the 
authorities, neither of these two parastatal entities has exclusive rights over importation or marketing.  
3.59.  According to the authorities, at end 2013 there were 18 government corporations and 
33 statutory bodies in St. Lucia. Government subventions are the main source of funding for statutory bodies; the liabilities of statutory bodies that have the power to borrow may be 
guaranteed by the Government of St. Lucia if  authorized by Parliament. Some state-owned 
enterprises, such as the Water and Sewerage Corporation, received extensive Government 
assistance during the review period
62; details on the number of beneficiaries and the precise forms 
of support were not made available. 
3.3.4  Government procurement 
3.60.  St. Lucia is not a party to the WTO Plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement.  
                                               
58 Government of St. Lucia (2013). 
59 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. 
60 Price Control Order No. 54 of 2 June 2008, as amended by Statutory Instrument No. 92 of 
28 September 2009 and Statutory Instrument No.58 of 9 August 2013. 
61 The domestic-market prices of these commodities ha d not been adjusted in almost 30 years; the cost 
of subsidizing them reached EC$18.2 million in fiscal year 2012/13. 
62 Government of St. Lucia (2013 ). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  3.61.  No major changes were made in the legal and institutional framework governing public 
procurement during the review period.63 The Central Tenders Board (CTB) continues to act on 
behalf of government contracting entities for procurement contracts exceeding EC$100,000; 
contracts for computers, furniture, and general-use office supplies are handled by the Central 
Procurement Unit of the Ministry of Finance. The procurement legislation applies to all government 
agencies, statutory bodies and para-state bodies, whenever they deal with funds forming part of 
the consolidated fund established by the Finance Act. 
3.62.  Invitation to tender is the principal meth od of awarding contracts for the procurement of 
goods, construction work, or services. Although not a statutory requirement, tender notices are posted in the St. Lucia Gazette  and at least two local papers of wide circulation. All tenders are 
open for international bidding; the decision to advertise internationally is made on a case-by-case 
basis. Direct contracting must be authorized by the Director of Finance, who may also set out 
specific procedures to be followed; in such instances, the procuring entity has to justify the impracticability of competitive tendering. Usually,  this approach is reserved for emergencies and 
where only one possible supplier is available; however, its use was widespread during 2009-13 
and in some years (e.g., 2011) it accounted for more than 50% of procurement, both considering the number of contracts and value (Table 3.5). Preferences for local suppliers may be applied 
when after-sales service is a key feature of the procurement contract.  
Table 3.5 Procurement contracts, 2009-13  
 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013a 
Number of contracts 292 278 257 249 191
Direct purchase (%) 59.6 48.6 56.0 31.3 59.7 
CTB (%) 40.4 51.4 44.0 68.7 40.3 
Total value 235,900,342 138,683,08 1 180,785,126 162,108,186 116,238,715
Direct purchase (%) 24.1 51.4 73.3 23.5 59.9 
CTB (%) 75.9 48.6 26.7 76.5 40.1 
a Data cover the period January-September. 
Source: WTO Secretariat calculations, based on da ta provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.63.  St. Lucia's legislation does not stipulate an appeals mechanism for government 
procurement; in practice appeals are made to the CTB or to the procuring entity, as well as to the 
courts. According to the authorities, there were only two appeals during 2010-13.  
3.3.5  Intellectual property rights 3.64.  There have been no changes to the lega l and institutional framework for intellectual 
property protection in St. Lucia since its previous Review.
64 National laws and regulations related 
to intellectual property have been notified to the WTO; no updates on the subject were received 
during the review period.65 St. Lucia's contact point for issues related to intellectual property is the 
Minister for Legal Affairs. Since 2006, the authorities have been involved in a WIPO initiative 
seeking to establish a regional framework for the protection of traditional knowledge, traditional 
cultural expressions, and genetic resources.  
3.65.  The Patents Act No. 16 of 2001 contains provisions for compulsory licensing of intellectual 
property, but is yet to enter into force (Table 3.6). In the absence of the relevant implementing 
regulations, St. Lucia still fails to fully comply wi th the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, since, 
in accordance with its domestic legislation it cannot provide a 20-year protection period for patents.  
                                               
63 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. 
64 WTO document WT/TPR/S/190/LCA/Rev.1, 21 April 2008. 
65 WTO document IP/N/1/LCA/2, 18 August 2004; the review of St. Lucia's legislation in the TRIPS 
Council and its responses to the checklist of enforcement-related issu es date from 2001.  WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Table 3.6 National IP R legislation, 2013 
Legislation  
(entry into force) Term of protection Coverage Sanctions 
Patents 
Patents Act 2001 
(27 August 2001)a 20 yea rs, renewable New invention, involving an 
inventive step and capable of 
industrial application/please 
indicate coverage under Title X 
of the Commercial Code. Fines up to 
EC$10,000 
and/or 
imprisonment 
for up to three 
years 
Industrial designs 
Industrial Designs Act 
2001 (1 June 2003); 
Industrial Designs 
Regulations 2003  
(1 June 2003) Five years, renewable for two 
consecutive five-year periods Any composition of lines or 
colours or any three-dimensional 
form, or any material (whether 
or not associated with lines or 
colours) that: gives a special 
appearance to a product of 
industry or handicraft; can serve 
as a pattern for a product of 
industry or handicraft; or 
appeals to and is judged by the 
eye. Fines up to 
EC$10,000 or 
imprisonment 
for up to five 
years 
Layout designs of integrated circuits  
Layout-Designs 
(Topographies) of 
Integrated Circuits Act 
2000 (1 May 2003); 
Layout-Designs 
(Topographies) of 
Integrated Circuits 
Regulations 2003  
(1 May 2003) Ten years from the date of 
commencement of protection; non-
renewable The three-dimensional 
disposition of the elements (at 
least one of which is an active 
element) and of some or all of 
the inter-connections of an 
integrated circuit; or such a 
three-dimensional disposition 
prepared for an integrated 
circuit intended for manufacture  Fines up to 
EC$5,000 or 
imprisonment 
for up to two 
years 
Geographical indications  
Geographical Indications 
Act 2000  (1 May 2003); 
Geographical Indications 
Regulations 2003 (1 May 
2003) Indefinite protection Indication which identifies a 
good as originating in the 
territory of a country, or a 
region or locality in this 
territory, where a given quality, 
reputation or other characteristic 
of the good is essentially 
attributable to its geographical 
origin Fines up to 
EC$10,000 
and/or 
imprisonment 
for up to two 
years 
Trademarks 
Trade Marks Act 
2001(1 April 2003);  
Trade Marks Regulations 
2003 (1 April 2003) Ten years from filing; renewable A sign used, or intended to be 
used, to distinguish goods or 
services dealt with or provided 
in the course of trade by a 
person from goods or services 
so dealt with or provided by any 
other person. Fines up to 
EC$250,000 
Copyright and related rights 
Copyright Act 1995 
(6 September 1995); 
Copyright  (Amendment) 
Act 2000 (27 March 
2000);  
Copyright (Importation 
Restriction) Regulations 
2000 (27 May 2000); 
Copyright (International 
Organisations) Order 2000 
(27 May 2000) Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic 
works, computer programs, and data 
compilations, 50 years from author's 
death (if authorship unknown, 
50 years after first public availability); 
computer-generated works (no human 
author), sound recordings and films, 
50 years from creation/first public 
availability; broadcasts and cable 
programmes, 50 years from 
broadcasting; typographical 
arrangements of editions, 25 years 
from first publication. 
 Original literary, dramatic, 
musical or artistic works, 
computer programs, and data 
compilations; computer-
generated works (no human 
author), sound recordings, films, 
broadcasts or cable 
programmes; typographical 
arrangements of published 
editions. There is no formal 
registration of copyright Fines up to 
EC$50,000 
and/or 
imprisonment 
for up to five 
years  
 
a For lack of implementing regulations, the Patents Act (2001) is not yet in force. According to the 
authorities, patents are not currently granted in St. Lucia, but those that have been granted in the United Kingdom are re-registered in  St. Lucia by virtue of Part I,  Title X of the Commercial Code, 
Ch. 244, Revised Laws of Saint Lucia 1957.  
 Source: Information provided by the authorities of St. Lucia. 
3.66.  In contrast, legislation to implement the TRIPS Agreement has been introduced for 
copyright and trademarks. The meaning of litera ry works encompasses computer programmes and WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  tables and compilations. The Copyright Act also  protects the moral rights of producers of 
phonograms and performers. Copyright owned by international organizations is protected for 50 years from the date of creation of the work . The Copyright Act also provides for copyright 
protection in audio-visual production made by foreign performers and foreign producers, as well as 
neighbouring rights in a broadcast made by a fo reign broadcasting organization. The Act contains 
provisions with respect to copyright licensing. 
3.67.  Trademark legislation extends protection to all visible signs capable of distinguishing goods 
(trademarks) or services (service marks), as well as collective marks and trade names. The 
exclusive right to a trademark is acquired through registration in the Register of Marks. The Act 
provides for the right of priority of an earlier national or regional application filed by the applicant in any WTO Member or State party to the Paris Convention.  
3.68.  St. Lucia's copyright and trade mark laws co ntain provisions with respect to enforcement of 
IPRs. Penalties under the Trademarks Act include award of damages; seize, forfeit or destroy orders; and fines and imprisonment. The Copyright Act contains provisions with respect to civil and 
criminal proceedings for copyright infringement. Remedies include seizure of infringing copies and 
adjudication of damages, as well as fines and imprisonment. 
3.69.  No information is currently available on enforcement activities. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  4  TRADE POLICIES BY SECTOR 
4.1  Agriculture 4.1.1  Overview 4.1.  St. Lucia's agriculture sector grew erratica lly during the review period, affected by several 
unfavourable events, including plant pests (banana leaf spot disease), rising input prices, and 
adverse climatic conditions. The crops segment continued to account for most of agriculture output, with some fluctuation attributable mainly to swings in banana production. Fisheries output 
expanded steadily throughout 2007-13. The sector's  overall contribution to GDP remained modest 
(section 1). St. Lucia remains a net food importer; its agricultural trade deficit increased during the review period. Food imports are dominated by me at and meat products, dairy products, cereals, 
and vegetables and fruits.  
4.2.  Notwithstanding its modest GDP contribution , agriculture remains a top Government priority 
for its significance to St. Lucia's growth and socio-economic development objectives.
66 Efforts to 
boost output and value added continue to be hamper ed by a number of constraints, including: the 
prevalence of small-scale production units; the lo w adoption rate of improved techniques; and the 
growing shortage of qualified farm labour, due to an aging rural population. Vulnerability to 
adverse weather conditions exacerbates these challenges: Hurricane Thomas eradicated all banana 
plantations on the island in November 2010, causing a significant setback in agriculture 
production. 
4.1.2  Border measures 4.3.  Agriculture remains the most tariff-protected sector (section 3). The average applied rate on 
agricultural products (WTO definition) increased from 16.7% in 2006 to 17.8% in 2013. More than 
50% of agricultural tariff lines (I SIC definition) carry rates greater than 25%. Fruit and vegetables, 
animals and products thereof, beverages and spirit s, coffee, and tobacco, continue to benefit from 
higher than average protection. Imports of beer, onions, potatoes, and certain types of seeds and 
sugar are subject to non- ad valorem  tariffs. St. Lucia continues to require import licences for a 
range of agricultural products (Table 3.2) import licences for poultry and pork remain subject to 
local purchase requirements.  
4.1.3  Domestic measures 4.4.  The Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs 
maintains a monopoly on bulk imports of rice, flour, and sugar; and two parastatal entities remain 
active on the wholesale markets of fruit and vegetables, and seafood (section 3.3.3).  
4.5.  The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries and Rural Development (MAFFRD) 
conducts several support programmes and services, such as: the Crop Production and 
Development Programme and the Coconut Revitalization Programme, geared at producing quality 
crops; the Livestock Production Programme, aimed at partially satisfying the protein requirements of the population; the Agricultural Health and Surveillance Programme, geared at preventing the 
entry of harmful pest and diseases; the Land and Water Management Programme, aimed at 
conserving the land and water base for sustainable agricultural production; and the Agro-Industry Development Programme, geared at facilitating the domestic production of processed agricultural commodities. Considerable support is being provided to banana producers to accelerate 
post-disaster recovery. The MAFFRD also imports new plant varieties with a view to improving 
farmers' yields. The authorities have drafted a framework policy for the production and importation of GMOs; Cabinet deliberations on the draft have not commenced yet. 
4.6.  A range of agricultural inputs are VAT -exempt, while certain inputs and unprocessed 
agricultural produce are zero-rated (section 3.1.3) . Additional incentives to the agriculture sector 
generally take the form of partial or complete waivers of import duties, and excise taxes on most 
items used in production and processing of agricultural commodities (e.g. improved plant and 
                                               
66 Policy Brief, National Agricultural Policy 2009-15. Viewed at: http://www.malff.com/images/stories/ 
admin/ Agricultural%20policy%20brief%202009-2015.pdf. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  livestock varieties, pick-up and re frigerated trucks, tractors, fertilizers, agri-chemicals, medication, 
safety gear, land preparation tools and equipment, and fishing vessels and equipment).67 The 
fisheries subsector is also eligible for a fuel rebate of EC$0.75/gallon for the first 4,500 gallons. Other support measures include in-kind government contributions for: maintenance of private 
access roads (up to 50% of materials and technical services), pest and disease control (up to 
100% of supplies and labour), as well as irriga tion and processing systems, soil and water 
conservation, and renewable energy installa tions (up to 50% of technical expertise).
68 Applications 
for incentives must be accompanied by a business plan that demonstrates the project's viability; 
those with estimated support value not exceedin g EC$100,000 are decided at the Ministry level, 
whereas requests above that threshold require approval by the Cabinet. No estimates of forgone revenue and provided in-kind support were available for 2007-13.  
4.7.  St. Lucia has not established any insurance facilities specific to the agriculture sector; the 
authorities indicate that a voluntary livelihood insurance scheme with a broader remit is managed by a subsidiary of Bank of St. Lucia. 
4.2  Manufacturing 
4.8.  The manufacturing sector's already modest  GDP contribution declined further during the 
review period and was estimated at 2.9% in 2013 (Table 1.1). The sector's performance reflects 
the effects of the global economic crisis as well as structural competitiveness issues, including high 
energy and labour costs. During 2008-12, the most dynamic subsectors were beverages, food, fabricated metals, and chemical products; together they accounted for 78% of production (Table 4.1). 
4.9.  No major changes have been made to the legal and institutional framework or to border and 
domestic measures for the sector since St. Lucia's last Review. The authorities are planning a major reform to the fiscal incentives regime with a view to making the granting of concessions 
performance-driven; new eligibility criteria under consideration would refocus on innovation and 
technology adoption.  
Table 4.1 Manufacturing production, 2008-12  
Sub-sectors 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Total ( EC$ million)  348.8 321.4 310.9 328.6 328.2 
 (%) 
Beverages 47.5 43.6 41.8 44.1 43.5 
  Alcoholic 38.6 34.0 31.6 34.7 31.9 
  Non-alcoholic 8.8 9.6 10.2 9.4 11.5 
Food 14.3 16.1 17.0 17.3 18.1 
Fabricated metals 9.9 9.7 8.4 8.4 8.3 
Chemical products 7.5 7.9 7.9 7.7 8.2 
Paper and paper products 6.9 9.1 8.0 6.8 6.6 
Electrical products 1.6 1.2 1.6 1.5 1.2 
Other 12.4 12.4 15.3 14.4 14.0 
Source: Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning and Social Security (2013), St. Lucia Economic and 
Social Review 2012 . Viewed at: www.finance.gov.lc. 
4.3  Services 
4.3.1  Telecommunications 
4.10.  Like in other OECS member countries, St. Lucia's telecommunications sector is regulated by 
a National Regulatory Telecommunications Commission (NTRC), which works in conjunction with 
the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) to ensure regional policy 
harmonization (Common Report, section 4). The responsibilities of the NTRC include: setting 
                                               
67 Typically, the duty waiver is 100% for imports by a cooperative and 60% for imports by 
independents. Also, im ports for cooperatives receive a full waiv er of excise taxes, while imports for 
independents are subject to a reduced rate of 5%. 
68 Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries and Rural Development (2006). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  technical standards69; reviewing applications for licences; monitoring compliance with licences 
granted; reviewing interconnection agreements; resolving interconnection and infrastructure-sharing disputes; regulating prices for telecommunications services; and managing the universal service fund. The NTRC also shares competence s with ECTEL over the management of radio 
frequency spectrum. Telecommunications licences are technology-neutral. 
4.11.  Frequency authorizations are subject to an  application fee and an annual fee depending on 
the type of service provided and the bandwidth.  Telecommunications licences are subject to a non-
refundable application fee, a one-time initial fee (upon approval of the application), and an annual 
licence fee expressed either as a percentage of the licensee's gross revenue or a fixed amount; for 
fixed-line, mobile, and internet service provid ers these fees are EC$1,000, EC$20,000 and 3% of 
annual gross revenue, respectively.
70  
4.12.  Providers of voice and/or broadband services (Class A licence holders) are required to 
contribute to a universal service fund (USF) at ra tes of 0.25% and 0.5% of their gross revenue in 
the first and second year after obtaining a licence, respectively, and 1% from the third year 
onward.71 The USF is used to finance relevant projec ts approved by the NTRC; project proposals 
may be submitted by the general public. Implem entation contracts for approved projects are 
awarded through competitive bidding to telecommunications operators licensed in St. Lucia; for 
contracts below a certain threshold the NTRC ma y, after consultation with ECTEL, opt for 
sole-source procurement.72  
4.13.  Any radio or telecommunications equipment, whether used in the deployment of networks 
or by end-users, requires type-approval certification before it may be sold for use, imported, or 
installed in Saint Lucia. Virtually all such equipment is imported. The NTRC typically grants 
customs clearance authorizations within five days. The NTRC issues type-approval certificates to the manufacturers of telecommunications equipmen t; subsequent importations of type-approved 
items do not require clearance authorization. Type approvals granted in certain overseas 
jurisdictions may be recognized as equivalent, upon presentation of all supporting technical details and a certified copy of the type-approval certificate.
73 There is no ECTEL-wide list of recognized 
foreign type-approval jurisdictions.74 All suppliers of telecommunications equipment must register 
with the NTRC and pay an annual registration fee.  
4.14.  During the review period, the telecommunications providers active in St. Lucia comprised 
three fixed-line, two mobile, and five internet service providers. One mobile service provider 
withdrew from the market in 2006. Although a sign ificant number of licences have been issued to 
prospective providers, there have been no ne w entrants on the telecommunications market 
since 2002. Fixed-line penetration declined during 2008-13, from 24% to some 21% in 2013 
(Table 4.2). Mobile and fixed internet subscriptions remained broadly on the rise; mobile 
penetration rose to a high of 131% in 2011, but declined by two percentage points in 2012 and a 
further four points in 2013.  
4.15.  There were no changes to the rates for mobile services in St. Lucia during the review 
period: the average rates were EC$0.72 per minu te for on-net mobile calls and EC$0.82 per 
minute for off-net mobile calls. Mobile to fixed calls were on average EC$0.80 per minute.75 A price 
cap plan for the incumbent fixed-line operator , similar to those implemented in other ECTEL 
States, remains in place. Mobile telephony (call and SMS) termination rates and all interconnection 
rates continue to be regulated at ECTEL level (Common Report). 
                                               
69 The NTRC does not have authority to make a st andard compulsory, but may make representation 
through ECTEL to the competent Minister. 
70 Statutory Instrument (Telecommunications (Fees) Regulations) No. 96 of 14 October 2002. Viewed 
at: http://www.ntrc.org.lc/Laws_and_Regulations/Telecoms_Regulations/S.I. No. 96 of 2002.pdf. 
71 Statutory Instrument (Telecommunications (Univers al Service Fund Contribution) Order) No. 45 of 
6 April 2009. 
72 Telecommunications (Universal Service Fund) Regulations No. 120 of 15 December 2008. 
73 Applications for type approval are subject to a fee: EC$500 for new approvals and EC$35 for 
previously approved items.  
74 For a list of jurisdictions recognized in St. Lucia, see NTRC online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.ntrc.org.lc/Publications/SPM/Module 5 - Terminal Equipment and Public Networks.pdf. 
75 ECTEL (2012). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Table 4.2 Telecommunicati ons statistics, 2008-13  
 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
Provider revenue (EC$ million)  239 238 243 245 240 227 
Investment (EC$ million)  65 54 36 19 29 23 
Employment  623 566 520 519 506 425 
Fixed-line pe netration (%) 24 23 22 21 20 21 
Mobile penetration (%) 104 116 120 131 129 125 
Fixed internet penetration (%) 10 12 14 13 13 15 
Local fixed traffic (million minutes)  173 183 173 158 147 143 
Local mobile traffic (million minutes)  215 215 243 204 241 217 
International incoming traffic (million 
minutes)  61 67 51 51 43 36 
International outgoing traffic (million 
minutes)  41 40 34 36 25 25 
 
Source: ECTEL. 
4.16.  St. Lucia does not apply any overseas ow nership restrictions in the telecommunications 
sector; foreign and domestic operators are granted the same rights. According to the ITU, all major telecommunication markets are fully open to competition.
76 Nevertheless, there is scope for 
strengthening market contestability through regulatory provisions that establish or clarify, 
inter alia : (fixed and mobile) number portability; domestic mobile roaming; obligations on passive 
infrastructure sharing; local loop unbundling; secondary spectrum trading; and frameworks 
allowing the entry of virtual network operators and carrier (pre-)selection for certain calls.  
4.3.2  Financial services 4.17.  Domestic (onshore) commercial banks remain under ECCB supervision. The Ministry of 
Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning and Social Security, through its Financial Sector Supervision 
Unit (FSSU), regulated and supervised both the offshore financial services segment and onshore 
non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) until end 2013. As from January 2014, these functions are 
carried out by the newly established Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). During the 
review period, the regulatory framework was stre ngthened with the broadening of licensing and 
supervision to cover money-services businesses that undertake one or more of the following 
activities: transmission of monetary value in any form; cheque cashing; currency exchange; and 
issuance, sale or redemption of mo ney orders or travellers' cheques.
77  
4.3.2.1  Onshore financial services 4.3.2.1.1  Banks 
4.18.  At end-October 2013 the onshore segment comprised six banks (including three foreign 
branches), 16 credit unions, four money-se rvices businesses, 26 insurance companies, 
14 insurance brokers, 16 agents, and more th an 200 insurance salespersons. There are no 
reinsurance companies registered in St. Lucia; the authorities note that the Insurance Act does not 
mention registration of reinsurers. 
4.19.  Commercial presence remains a prerequisite for obtaining a licence from the Minister for 
Finance to carry on banking business in St. Lucia; foreign companies may establish presence 
through a branch or a subsidiary. Foreign-owned banks licensed and incorporated in St. Lucia 
benefit from national treatment; there are no foreign ownership limitations. St. Lucia citizens and companies are not restricted from borrowing or placing deposits with banks located abroad; no 
taxes are levied on financial transactions.  
4.20.  Following the acquisition of St. Lucia Develo pment Bank by Bank of St. Lucia in July 2002, 
the latter continued to administer a development loans portfolio and was partially state owned. State participation in the Bank of St. Lucia is 37% (January 2014): 20% owned by the 
Government of St. Lucia and 17% by the National Insurance Corporation (NIC), a statutory entity. 
                                               
76 ITU (2012). 
77 Money Services Business Act No. 11 of 3 March 2010.  WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  A new St. Lucia Development Bank (SLDB), established78 with an initial capital contribution of 
EC$12 million from the Government of St. Luci a, opened for business in February 2009. Its 
mandate is to mobilize and provide finance for the ec onomic development of Saint Lucia, as well as 
to foster the development of money and capital mark ets. The activities of the SLDB are not subject 
to any restrictions, but its mandate includes extending credit and providing technical assistance to 
"development enterprises" (designated by relevant Ministers). According to the authorities, being a 
development bank, SLDB falls under the authority of the FSRA, rather than that of the ECCB. 
Details on concessionary lending and other developm ent-oriented activities of SLDB and Bank of 
St. Lucia were not made available. 
4.3.2.1.2  Insurance 4.21.  Insurance coverage in St. Lucia may only  be provided by domestically registered and 
licensed companies and associations of underwriters; separate registration requirements are set 
out in the Companies Act and the Insurance Act. Foreign companies must have operated for at least five years in their country of incorporation before they can be registered to operate in 
St. Lucia. Individuals acting as intermediaries (insurance agents, brokers, and salesmen) only 
need to register under the Insurance Act.
79 All insurers must comply with technical reserves 
requirements (for risks insured in St. Lucia) and the legal provisions on their placement.80 Foreign 
entities not registered in St. Lucia may insure certain risks for which no coverage is offered on the 
domestic market; to this end, the St. Lucia-based customer must obtain prior authorization to seek insurance coverage for that risk abroad. 
4.22.  Annual licence fees range from EC$1,200 to EC$5,500, depend ing on the class of insurance 
business and whether the insurer is local or foreign. Different minimum paid-up share capital 
thresholds apply to local and foreign insurers: EC$1 million and EC$2.5 million, respectively, for long-term insurance business; and EC$750,000 and EC$1.5 million, respectively, for general 
insurance business. Foreign insurers must also make higher initial deposits, at EC$100,000 or 
EC$150,000, compared with EC$25,000 or EC$75,000 for local companies, depending on the class of business transacted. Deposit requirements for insurance brokers also depart from national 
treatment: EC$10,000 for St. Lucian nationals and companies with majority ownership by 
St. Lucian nationals, against EC$20,000 for foreign nationals and majority foreign-owned companies.  
4.23.  St. Lucia levies a tax on insurance premiums: local life insurers, 1.5%; foreign life insurers, 
3%; local general insurers, 3%; and foreign general insurers, 5%. 
4.3.2.2  Offshore financial services 4.24.  At end-October 2013, the offshore segment comprised six class A and three class B banks, 
31 international insurance companies, five incorporate cell companies (ICCS), eight incorporate 
cells (ICS)
81, nine private mutual funds, three pub lic mutual funds, three mutual fund 
administrators, one mutual fund manager, 17 registered agents, and three registered trustees. 
4.25.  Offshore financial institutions are precluded from doing business with residents of St. Lucia; 
they must have at least two directors, one of which is resident in St. Lucia.82 International banks 
and international insurance companies must appoin t a registered agent, and have a registered 
office in St. Lucia (which may be the office of th e registered agent). Offshore entities are exempt 
from taxes in Saint Lucia, but may irrevocably opt to pay income tax at a rate of 1% in order to 
                                               
78 Act No. 12 of 2008. 
79 Registration fees range from EC$100 to EC$1,500 depend ing on the activity and whether, in the case 
of a broker, the partners holding the majori ty interest are citizens of St. Lucia. 
80 Insurance Act No. 6 of 1995, as amended by th e Insurance (Amendment) Act No. 28 of 2003, the 
Insurance (Amendment) Act No. 3 of 2006, and Statutory Instrument (Insurance (Amendment of Schedule 4) 
Regulations) No. 52 of 8 July 2013. 
81 Registration fees for ICCs and ICs were rais ed during the review period. ICs must pay a 
non-refundable application fee of US$500 and a US$1,000 fee for the certificate of registration. The application 
fee for ICCs is US$1,000; th ese institutions are also subject to an  annual licence fee of US$2,500 plus US$500 
for each IC linked to them by an operation agreement. 
82 The definition of residence does not encompass other OECS/CARICOM countries. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  benefit from the CARICOM Double Taxation Agreement.83 Offshore banks must deposit 
US$100,000 into an approved financial institution doing commercial business in St. Lucia. 
4.3.3  Transport 4.26.  Responsibility for St. Lucia's ports and airports, as well as port services, remains with the 
St. Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), wh ich controls the navigable waters at all ports 
and marinas, and manages the two state-owned se aports and the two airports. Ground-handling 
services are put out to tender by SLASPA; a number of private foreign and local companies provide 
these services. Pilotage remains compulsory at the two main seaports and may only be provided 
by SLASPA; ships belonging to Her Majesty and ships owned or operated by SLASPA are exempt 
from this requirement, and small vessels may obtain exemptions from SLASPA. SLASPA also licenses companies to provide ground handling services to airlines.  
4.27.  According to the authorities, St. Lucia's international air services agreements are bilateral 
and stipulate up to the fourth freedom. No changes were made to the legal and institutional framework governing air transport services during the review period.
 The Air Transport Licensing 
Board, at the METC, remains in charge of issuin g licences and approving tariffs for passenger and 
cargo services. Ministerial approval is a prerequisite for the granting of all air transport service licences. No restrictions on cabotage services are explicitly stipulated in St. Lucia's legislation;
 the 
Minister may issue regulations to that effect.  
4.28.  According to the authorities, foreign investment in domestically incorporated carriers is 
unrestricted. As at November 2013, one private ai r transport service provider was incorporated in 
St. Lucia (St. Lucia Helicopter); another company (Inter-Caribbean Express) is based in St. Lucia 
but is incorporated and registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Lucia is a shareholder in 
the regional airline LIAT, along with the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  
4.29.  There were no changes to the legal an d institutional framework governing maritime 
transport during the review period. Ownership of St. Lucian ships is restricted to St. Lucian citizens 
and companies headquartered in the country. There are no restrictions on international maritime 
passenger and cargo transport services, as bound in  St. Lucia's GATS commitments, provided that 
ships are registered in a foreign registry. Cabotage by foreign-flag ships requires an authorization from the Minister of Infrastructure, Port Servic es and Transport; according to the authorities, 
cabotage does not take place in St. Lucia and there are no St. Lucian vessels.  
4.3.4  Tourism 
4.30.  Although the global economic crisis caused a reduction in tourist arrivals, the adverse effect 
was partly attenuated by St Lucia's positioning in  the high-end market segment. According to the 
authorities, cruise ship passenger arrivals have  increased from about 300,000 before 2005 to an 
annual average of over 600,000, and spending pe r person has remains on an upward trend.  
4.31.  The Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and the Creative Industries is responsible for formulating 
and implementing tourism policy. The authorities are working on strengthening the regulatory 
framework through the adoption of national standards and a licensing regime for tourism services. Efforts to date have resulted in the adoption of a National Tourism Taxi Policy aimed at improving the standard of service by taxi operators. St. Lucia is yet to implement a formal grading and 
classification scheme for accommodation facilities, or to adopt provisions for compulsory insurance 
coverage. 
4.32.  Marketing and promotion activities are undertaken by the St. Lucia Tourism Board (SLTB)
84, 
in collaboration with the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA); SLTB also negotiates 
with air carriers with a view to increasing capacity and frequency on existing routes to the island. The authorities have announced plans to invest US$3 million, including a US$1 million private 
sector contribution, in a bid to increase tourist arrivals from emerging Latin American markets. 
                                               
83 International Business Companies Act, as amended by Act No. 34 of 31 December 2007. 
84 Annual government allocations for the SLTB's mark eting activities ranged between EC$40 million and 
EC$55 million during 2007-12. There is no link between the subvention granted and the taxes collected from 
the tourism industry. WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Recent discussions on the long-term VAT rate for the sector (section 3.1.3) have also brought 
about a decision to establish a Tourism Marketing and Product Development Fund, which would assist in financing "minimum revenue guarantees, airlift support, marketing or other related tourism activities".
85 The fund would be constituted through a statutory contribution of US$2 per 
room-night and would be managed by a joint public-private sector board, with the SLHTA 
appointing two thirds of the board's members.  
4.33.  St. Lucia continues to levy various tourism-related taxes. Visitors travelling by air are 
subject to: a departure tax (EC$60), a travel tax (7.5% of the ticket cost), an airport service 
charge (US$25), a security fee (EC$15), and a fac ilitation fee (EC$1 per passenger). According to 
the authorities, the EC$68 airport development ch arge has been eliminated. Visitors passing 
through St. Lucia's seaports are subject to an in -transit fee (US$6.50) and an embark/disembark 
fee (EC$15). The hotel accommodation tax (US$10 per night) levied on overseas guests staying at 
all-inclusive hotels was eliminated upon introduction of the VAT regime in October 2012. 
4.34.  Tourism incentives, in the form of exempt ions from customs duties, corporate tax and (for 
up to 15 years) income taxes, may be granted by Cabinet for approved tourism products, on 
recommendation from the Minister responsible for tourism.86 Eligibility is open to any service or 
facility considered to be a tourism project, incl uding hotels, restaurants, and refurbishments. Duty 
and tax concessions are granted on a case-by-case basis, but are guided by conditions set out in 
the Act; according to the authorities, all applications are considered on merit, not on nationality grounds. In general, customs duty concessions ma y be granted on imports of specified articles, 
building materials, or equipment.  
4.35.  Areas of investment/employment activity reserved for nationals (section 2.3) include the 
operation of guest houses of less than ten rooms or below an investment threshold of EC$500,000, and the operation of restaurants. Nevertheless, top-class specialty-type restaurants may be 
allowed to bring in chefs whose skills are required but not available locally. 
4.3.5  Professional services 4.36.  St. Lucia's professional services subsector remains fragmented, constituting a mix of 
regulated and non-regulated segments. While there were no legislative changes during the review 
period, the authorities announced plans to guide and encourage the development of the subsector, 
including the elaboration of legislative and institutional frameworks for various professions and the provision of incentives.
87 Priority efforts will focus on the accounting, architecture, engineering, 
and management consulting professions; measures to develop capacity in offshore education and 
medical training are also envisaged. 
                                               
85 Government of St. Lucia (2013). 
86 Tourism Incentives Act No. 7 of 1996, as amended by Act No. 4 of 18 April 2013. The amendment 
provided for an extension of maximum tax-holiday periods.  
87 Government of St. Lucia (2013). WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  REFERENCES 
 
ECCB (2011), Annual Economic and Financial Review . Viewed at: http://www.eccb-
centralbank.org/PDF/annual_efr_2011.pdf.  
 
ECCB (2012), Annual Economic and Financial Review . Viewed at: http://www.eccb-
centralbank.org/PDF/annual_efr_2012.pdf . 
 
ECTEL (2012), Annual Sector Review 2011-2012 . Viewed at: 
http://www.ectel.int/index.ph p/resources/publications . 
 
Government of St. Lucia (2013), Budget Statement 2013. Viewed at: 
http://www.caribbeanelection s.com/eDocs/budget/lc_bu dget/lc_budg et_2013.pdf . 
 
IMF (2011), St. Lucia-Request for Disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility and Emergency 
Natural Disaster Assistance-Staff Report, Staff Supplement, Press Release and Statement by the Executive Director for St. Lucia . Country Report No. 11/278 Viewed at: 
http://www.imf.org/external/p ubs/ft/scr/2011/cr11278.pdf . 
 
ITU (2012), Country and Regional profiles . Viewed at: http://www.itu.int/net4/itu-
d/icteye/CountryProfileReport.aspx?countryID=135 . 
 
Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries and Rural Development (2006a), Agricultural 
Incentives 2006 . Viewed at: http://malff.com/images/stories/admin/Incentives%20brochure.pdf . WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
- 329 - 
 
  5  APPENDIX TABLES 
Table A1. 1 Merchandise exports and re-exports by SITC section, 2007-12  
(US$ million and %) 
Description 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Total exports and re-exports 76.1 145.1 252.8 214.5 160.1 169.9 
    Domestic exports 46.5 68.8 69.2 72.7 87.0 97.2 
    Re-exports 29.6 76.3 183.6 141.8 73.1 72.7 
 (% of total exports and re-exports) 
 0  Food and live animals  24.4 18.5 11.7 9.0 5.7 7.1 
 1  Beverages and tobacco  20.6 14.1 8.2 10.7 21.0 18.5 
 2  Crude materials, inedible, except fuels  1.3 3.5 0.5 1.9 2.5 5.3 
 3  Mineral fuels and related materials  16.4 21.6 8.4 13.7 28.0 27.5 
 4  Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes  - - - 0.5 0.5 0.3 
 5  Chemicals and related products  2.6 5.3 2.6 7.0 4.3 5.4 
 6  Manufactured goods classified by material  7.9 8.0 3.8 6.0 6.6 8.2 
 7  Machinery and transport equipment  19.6 18.8 13.4 15.7 18.6 13.4 
 8  Miscellaneous manufactured articles  6.0 9.2 51.1 35.0 11.4 13.6 
 9  Commodities and tran sactions not classified 
elsewhere in SITC  1.1 1.1 0.4 0.5 1.3 0.9 
- Trade share lower than 0.05%. 
Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank  online information. Viewed at: http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/ 
Statistics/index.asp . WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Table A1. 2 Merchandise imports by SITC section, 2007-12  
(US$ million and %) 
Description 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
 Total imports  615.6 657.4 520.4 662.5 696.9 648.3 
 (% of total imports) 
 0  Food and live animals  15.7 16.5 20.9 19.9 18.8 20.3 
 1  Beverages and tobacco  4.3 4.2 4.7 4.7 4.2 3.7 
 2  Crude materials, inedible, except fuels  2.0 1.7 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.6 
 3  Mineral fuels and related materials  21.2 25.8 16.7 12.8 15.6 17.6 
 4  Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes  0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 
 5  Chemicals and related products  5.9 6.2 7.3 6.7 6.6 6.6 
 6  Manufactured goods classified by material  12.5 13.5 13.9 14.6 13.8 13.3 
 7  Machinery and transport equipment  24.8 19.4 20.1 21.3 19.8 20.0 
 8  Miscellaneous manufactured articles  13.2 12.1 13.2 16.9 14.4 12.4 
 9  Commodities and transa ctions not classified  
 elsewhere in SITC  - 0.2 0.8 1.1 4.6 3.9 
- Trade share lower than 0.05%. 
Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank  online information. Viewed at: http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/ 
Statistics/index.asp . WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Table A1. 3 Merchandise exports and re -exports by trading partner, 2007-12 
(US$ million and %) 
Description 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012a 
Total exports and re-exports 76.1 145.1 252.8 214.5 160.1 169.9 
 (% of total exports and re-exports) 
  America 71.7 79.7 .. 63.1 71.9 69.2 
    United States 13.8 34.0 .. 10.6 18.7 17.6 
    Other America 57.9 45.7 .. 52.5 53.2 51.6 
      Trinidad and Tobago 24.3 23.2 .. 16.0 29.1 26.9 
      Brazil 0.0 0.1 .. 0.1 0.2 0.1 
      Mexico 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 0.1 0.1 
      Panama 0.1 0.2 .. 0.0 0.0 0.1 
      Canada 0.2 0.3 .. 0.1 0.2 0.1 
      Barbados 12.2 8.5 .. 2.0 0.2 0.1 
      Grenada 3.5 1.8 .. 0.3 0.0 0.0 
      St Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5 3.0 .. 0.1 0.1 0.0 
      Antigua and Barbuda 3.7 2.3 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      Netherlands Antilles 0.0 0.0 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      British Virgin Islands 0.1 0.4 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
      Guyana 0.9 1.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
      St Kitts and Nevis 1.4 0.7 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      Jamaica 0.4 0.4 .. 0.2 0.3 0.0 
      Dominica 5.4 2.8 .. 1.2 0.1 0.0 
      Venezuela 0.3 0.1 .. 0.2 0.0 0.0 
      Dominican Republic 0.1 0.3 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      Bahamas 0.1 0.1 .. 0.0 0.7 0.0 
  Europe 27.5 17.1 .. 3.2 3.2 3.4 
    EU(27) 27.4 17.0 .. 3.1 2.9 2.8 
      United Kingdom 25.8 15.1 .. 2.5 1.8 2.1 
      France 1.2 1.1 .. 0.0 0.5 0.1 
      Germany 0.1 0.3 .. 0.4 0.2 0.2 
    EFTA 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.3 0.6 
      Switzerland 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.3 0.6 
    Other Europe 0.1 0.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
  Commonwealth of Independent States 
(CIS)b 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.2 0.0 
  Africa 0.0 1.3 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
      South Africa 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
  Middle East 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
  Asia 0.7 1.7 .. 1.1 2.1 2.5 
    China 0.3 0.6 .. 0.2 1.2 1.1 
    Japan 0.1 0.0 .. 0.6 0.6 0.9 
    Six East Asian Traders 0.0 0.5 .. 0.2 0.3 0.3 
      Hong Kong, China 0.0 0.1 .. 0.1 0.2 0.1 
      Chinese Taipei 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.1 0.1 
      Thailand 0.0 0.1 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      Korea, Republic of 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
      Singapore 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.0 0.1 
      Malaysia 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
    Other Asia 0.3 0.6 .. 0.1 0.1 0.2 
      India 0.3 0.4 .. 0.1 0.1 0.1 
      Indonesia 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.1 
  Other 0.0 0.0 .. 32.6 22.6 24.8 
      Areas n.e.s. .. .. .. 31.2 21.8 23.5 
.. Not available. 
 a Estimates. b Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) incl udes Armenia, Azerbaij an, Belarus, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federa tion, Tajikistan, Turkme nistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan. 
Note: Shares are based on UNSD Comtrade data for the period 2007-08; 0.0 indicates negligible trade. Source: UNSD, Comtrade database (SITC Rev.3); Sa int Lucia Government Stat istics Department; and 
Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). 
 WT/TPR/S/299/Rev.1 • Saint Lucia  
 
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  Table A1. 4 Merchandise exports and re -exports by trading partner, 2007-12 
Description 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012a
Total exports and re-exports 76.1 145.1 252.8 214.5 160.1 169.9 
 (% of total exports and re-exports) 
  America 71.7 79.7 .. 85.1 86.4 87.9 
    United States 13.8 34.0 .. 18.2 19.2 24.1 
    Other America 57.9 45.7 .. 66.8 67.2 63.8 
      Trinidad and Tobago 24.3 23.2 .. 29.4 43.8 42.0 
      Barbados 12.2 8.5 .. 14.4 7.4 5.8 
      Guyana 0.9 1.0 .. 2.8 2.3 3.8 
      Dominica 5.4 2.8 .. 6.1 3.4 3.1 
      St Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5 3.0 .. 3.4 2.8 2.2 
      Antigua and Barbuda 3.7 2.3 .. 3.4 1.8 1.7 
      Grenada 3.5 1.8 .. 2.3 1.2 0.8 
      St Kitts and Nevis 1.4 0.7 .. 1.6 0.8 0.6 
      Belize 0.4 0.3 .. 0.7 0.6 0.6 
      Jamaica 0.4 0.4 .. 0.4 0.7 0.7 
      Canada 0.2 0.3 .. 0.2 0.2 0.4 
      Panama 0.1 0.2 .. 0.1 0.1 0.1 
      Suriname 0.0 0.0 .. 0.4 0.2 0.2 
      Netherlands Antilles 0.0 0.0 .. 0.2 0.2 0.1 
      Mexico 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 0.1 0.0 
      Turks and Caicos Islands 0.1 0.0 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      British Virgin Islands 0.1 0.4 .. 0.0 0.1 0.0 
  Europe 27.5 17.1 .. 12.9 6.3 8.5 
    EU(27) 27.4 17.0 .. 12.9 6.2 8.4 
      United Kingdom 25.8 15.1 .. 11.7 5.7 7.5 
      Germany 0.1 0.3 .. 0.3 0.1 0.1 
      The Netherlands 0.2 0.1 .. 0.6 0.2 0.3 
    EFTA 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
      Switzerland 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
    Other Europe 0.1 0.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
  Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)b 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.2 0.0 
  Africa 0.0 1.3 .. 0.0 0.1 0.2 
  Middle East 0.0 0.1 .. 0.1 0.3 0.0 
  Asia 0.7 1.7 .. 2.0 1.8 1.5 
    China 0.3 0.6 .. 0.4 0.9 0.4 
    Japan 0.1 0.0 .. 0.0 0.1 0.0 
    Six East Asian Traders 0.0 0.5 .. 0.6 0.4 0.6 
      Hong Kong, China 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.0 0.4 
      Chinese Taipei 0.0 0.1 .. 0.3 0.2 0.1 
      Thailand 0.0 0.1 .. 0.0 0.1 0.0 
      Korea, Republic of 0.0 0.1 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      Singapore 0.0 0.1 .. 0.1 0.0 0.0 
      Malaysia 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 0.0 0.0 
    Other Asia 0.3 0.6 .. 1.1 0.4 0.5 
      India 0.3 0.4 .. 0.8 0.3 0.3 
      Australia   .. 0.1 0.0 0.1 
  Other 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 5.1 1.9 
      Areas n.e.s 0.0 0.0 .. 0.0 5.1 1.9 
.. Not available. 
 a Estimates. b Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) incl udes Armenia, Azerbaij an, Belarus, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federa tion, Tajikistan, Turkme nistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan.  
Note: Shares are based on UNSD Comtrade data for the period 2007-08, and on national data for the 
period 2010-12; 0.0% in the table represents negligible trade. 
Source: UNSD, Comtrade database (SITC Rev.3); the authorities of Saint Lucia; and Eastern Caribbean 
Central Bank (ECCB).