What is a Double Column Tariff?

A Double Column Tariff is a tariff system which has two different duty rates for a particular product. Here, the import tax on the product depends on the country of its origin. The rate is assessed by the importing country's trade relationship with the exporting country. Depending on that relationship the tariff may be higher for an exporting country than that of another country.

How Does a Double-Column Tariff System Work? 

In a single column tariff system, the tariff rate on a commodity is uniform for all exporting countries. The traditional or conventional tariff system a uniform tariff is applied on a product for all the importing countries with an understanding that the tariff may be reduced for some country on the occasions of any trade agreement between the two countries. The lowest tariffs are applied to the products imported from a country with whom the importing country has a free trade agreement. The Indian government has applied double column tariff to the commodities since the Commonwealth preference agreement of 1932. The tariff rate is low on the products imported from the Commonwealth nations. The tariff for the same goods is higher which are imported from other countries.

Related Topics

• Trade Balance: Surplus and Deficit
• Mercantilism
• J Curve
• National Trade Data Bank
• Capital Account (Economics)
• Merchandise Trade Balance
• Current Account 
• Income Payments
• Unilateral Transfer
• Is it better to have a trade surplus or a trade deficit? 
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• Heckscher-Ohlin Model 
• Linder Hypothesis
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• Circular Flow of Money
• Financial Capital
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• National Savings Identity and Trade Deficits
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• Trade Balance or Trade Surplus
• Level of Trade
• Comparative Advantage
• Absolute Advantage
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• Absolute Advantage in All Goods
• Production Possibilities Frontier and Comparative Advantage
• Comparative Advantage and Mutually Beneficial Trade
• Gain from Trade
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• Intra-Industry Trade
• Splitting Up the Value Chain
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• Protectionism
• Closed Economy
• Tariffs 
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• Import Quotas
• Double Column Tariff
• Infant Industry Theory
• National Interest Argument
• Race to the Bottom
• Anti-Dumping Laws
• Dumping
• Trade War
• Race to the Bottom
• Non-Tariff Barriers
• Effects of Trade Barriers
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• Infant Industry Theory for Restricting Imports
• What is the Anti-Dumping Argument for Restricting Imports?

• Anti-Dumping Laws
• Dumping

• What is the Environmental Protection Argument for Restricting Imports?
• Race to the Bottom
• Unsafe Consumer Products Argument for Restricting Imports?
• National Interest Argument for Restricting Imports
• What is the WTO?
• What is the GATT?
• What are Free Trade Agreements?
• North American Free Trade Agreement
• Central European Free Trade Agreement
• General Agreement on Free Tariff and Trade (GATT)
• Common Market
• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
• Central American Common Market
• Caribbean Community and Common Market
• What are Economic Unions?
• WTO
• International Monetary Fund
• World Economic Forum
• Inter-American Development Bank
• Davos World Economic Forum 
• Chamber of Commerce
• Jackson Hole Economic Symposium