WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/MA/NTR/7 
17 January 2008 
 
 (08-0225) 
Negotiating Group on Market Access Original:   English 
  
 
MARKET ACCESS FOR NON-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS 
 
Non-Tariff Barriers - Requests
 
 
Communication from the European Communities  
 
  The following communication, dated 16 January 2008, is being distributed at the request of the delegation of the European Communities.  
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  TN/MA/NTR/7 
Page 2 
EC BILATERAL REQUESTS IN NAMA-NTB S 
 
Country A 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 4104 11 11  
4104 11 21  
4104 19 10  4104 11 13  4104 11 23  4104 19 30  
4104 11 14  
4104 11 24  4104 19 40 4104 41 10 4104 41 30 4104 49 10 
4104 49 20 Wet blue leather Export tax of 15%. Elimination of  e xport  tax Two types of expor t taxes: general (10%) and 
specific tax (5%).  
The general export tax is calculated on the 
basis of the FOB price; the specific one on the referenced price of leather on the Chicago 
market plus transport costs.  
  
2 2605 
2609 
2602 2611 2617 2615 
2616 Cobalt, tin, manganese 
tungsten, antimony, Nb, 
Ta, V, Zr, precious metals ores Export tax of 10 % Elimination of  export  tax  
3 2504 
2519 Natural graphite, 
Magnesium Export tax of 10 % Elimination of  export  tax  
4 2529  Fluorspar Export tax of 10 % Elimination of  export  tax  
  
   TN/MA/NTR/7
 Page 3Country B 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 4104 11 
4104 19 Bovine wet blue leather Export tax of  9% Elimination of export tax Export taxes were to be eliminated by 1.1.08, 
but country B has (1) extended them to other 
products and (2) prolonged them without indicating any time limit. The customs 
authorities of country B levy tariffs in a way 
that a minimum export price seems to be the basis of the tariff calculation.   
  
  TN/MA/NTR/7 
Page 4 
Country C 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 2804 70 10 Yellow Phosphorus Export tax of 20%  Elimination of  export tax  Pursuant to A nnex 6 of its WTO Accession 
Protocol, country C has committed to 
maximum bound rate of 20%, and not increase 
rates applied by the time of accession except under exceptional circumstances and after consultation with affected members. 
 
Export tax is in addition to the absence of 
VAT refund. 
2 7601 10 
7601 20 10    Alumimium unalloyed 
and alloyed.  Export tax of 15%  Elimination of export tax Pursuant to Annex 6 of its WTO Accession 
Protocol, country C has committed to maximum bound rate of 30% and not to increase rates applied by the time of accession 
(0% in 2001) except under exceptional 
circumstances and after consultation with affected members.  
3 7602 Scrap of aluminium Export tax of 15% Elimination of export tax  Pursua nt to Annex 6 of its WTO Accession 
Protocol, country C has committed to 
maximum bound rate of 30% and not to 
increase rates applied by the time of accession (0% in 2001) except under exceptional circumstances and after consultation with affected members. 
 
Export tax is in addition to the absence of 
VAT refund.  
   TN/MA/NTR/7
 Page 5No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
4 7604 10 Unalloyed bars and rods Export ta x of 15% Elimination of export tax Purs uant to Annex 6 of its WTO Accession 
Protocol, country C has committed to 
maximum bound rate of 20% and not to 
increase rates applied by the time of accession (0% in 2001) except under exceptional circumstances and after consultation with affected members. 
 
5  7402  
7403 
7404  
7407 7408  7409 Unrefined copper 
Refined copper 
Scrap of refined copper 
Semi-processed products copper Export tax of 10% 
 Elimination of export tax 
 Pursuant to Annex 6 of its WTO Accession 
Protocol, country C has committed not to 
increase rates applied by the time of accession 
(0% in 2001) except under exceptional circumstances and after consultation with affected members, and not to overstep a maximum rate of 30% in the case of scrap and 
unwrought metal, 20% in the case of semi-
processed products. 
 
Export tax is in addition to the absence of 
VAT refund. 
  
  TN/MA/NTR/7 
Page 6 
Country D 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 4104-4106 
4107 
4112 
4113 Tanned leather 
Tanned snakeskin 
Luggage leather 
Cycle saddle leather Picking band leathers Strap/combing leathers Transistor case/ camera 
case leathers Export tax of varied 
level (10-25%) Elimination of export tax While country  D lifted its export restrictions in 
October 2000, export duties – at varied levels 
– are applied on a long range of leather 
products falling under NAMA. Country D also currently applies zero duty for
: Finished 
leather of goat, sheep and bovine animals and of their young ones; Clothing leather fur suede/ hair, hair-on suede/ shearing suede 
leathers (as per ISI norms 8170); Fur leathers; 
Cuttings and fleshing of hides and skins used as raw materials for manufacturing; animal glue gelatine; Book binding leathers; Skiver leathers; Fur of domestic animals, excluding 
lamb fur skin; Shoe upper leather 
2 2601 Iron ore Export tax (50 RMB 
per tonne) Elimination of export tax Country D imposed export duty on iron ore to 
prevent foreign access to its iron ore market. It wants to provide local industry with cheaper 
inputs. Imposition of an  export tax provoked 
important tensions on the international market for this commodity and affected all the markets. It has to be noted that the price of iron ore in the last 6 years rose by more than 200% and the tax of country D aggravates the 
situation. 
 
Initially, the tax was set at the level of 300 
RMB per tonne, but after strong reaction from one other WTO Member, country D has decided to reduce it. 
  
   TN/MA/NTR/7
 Page 7Country E 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 4104 11 10 
4104 19 10 
4105 10 30 4106 21 20 Wet blue leather Export tax of 15% Elimination of e xport tax Regulated by Ministry of Finance Decree 
92/PMK.02/2005 (10 Oct. 2005).  
 
  
  TN/MA/NTR/7 
Page 8 
Country F 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 4104  
4105  4106 4107 4203 Wet blue leather Export tax of 20% Eliminati on of export tax Tax levied since 1.09.05.  
2 7204 
7404 7503 7602 
7802 
7902 8002 8101 97 8102 97 8103 30 
8104 20 
8105 30 8106 8107 30 8108 30 
8109 30 
8110 20 8111 8112 13 8112 22 
8112 52 
8112 92 8113 Ferrous waste and 
scrap, remitting scrap ingots of iron or steel;  Waste and scrap of 
copper, nickel, 
aluminium, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten (wolfram), molybdenum, tantalum, magnesium, cobalt, bismuth, cadmium, 
titanium, zirconium, 
antimony, manganese, beryllium, chromium, thallium and cermets; waste and scrap of 
germanium, vanadium, 
gallium, hafnium, indium, niobium and rhenium; waste and scrap of cermets.  Export tax of 25% Elimination of export ta x Export tax levied as from 6.06.2006 under 
Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) 573(1)/2006.  
  
   TN/MA/NTR/7
 Page 9Country G 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 4104 11 
4104 19 
7204 4001 4403, 4408 Wet blue leather of 
bovine animals Metal scrap 
Rubber 
Wood Export tax of 5 THB/kg Elimination of export ta x These taxes have supposedly been waived by 
Ministry of Finance, but it remains the power 
to re-instate the taxes under Art 12 of the 
Customs Act  
2 4115 Parings, waste and dust 
for use in the production 
of composition leather 
 Export tax of 0.4 
THB/kg Elimination of export tax According to  some sources, the tax levied is 
currently not applied, but information remains 
unconfirmed. 
  
  TN/MA/NTR/7 
Page 10 
Country H 
 
No. HS heading Product description Non-tariff barriers Solution Comment 
1 2606 
 Aluminium ores Export tax of 10% 
(5% on concentrated 
ores and export 
restriction) Elimination of export tax No commitment undertaken in the Accession 
Protocol. According to some unconfirmed 
sources, export tax rate currently applied is 0% 
despite the fact that the publicized export tax is 10% for crude and 5% for refined aluminium ores. This also raises concerns of predictability for economic operators 
2 7602  
7404 
7902 
7503 
7802 8002 8101-8113 
 Scrap of aluminium, 
copper, zink, nickel, tin, tungsten, lead and cobalt etc. 
 Export tax of 45% 
(decreasing to 22% after 5 years of accession) Elimination of export tax Commitment undertaken in the Accession 
Protocol. Current tax rate of 7602 is 45%; for 7404, the tax rate is 45%; for 7503, the tax rate is 45%; for 8002, the tax rate is 45%; for 7802 the tax rate is 45%; and for 8101 to 8113, the 
current tax rate is 45%. 
After 8 months of Country H joining the WTO, 
the applicable export tax rate on those commodities is still higher than committed 
raising also questions of compliance. 
3 2605 Cobalt ores Export tax of 10% 
(5% for dressed ores) Elimination of export tax No commitment undertaken in the Accession 
Protocol. Although the publicized export tax on 2605 is 10% (5% for dressed ores), the actual rate currently applied is 0% according to some unconfirmed sources which raises 
problems of predictability for economic 
operators.  
 
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