India’s Tariff Policies on Rubber and Rubber Products Under Regional Trade Agreements (Table of Contents)

India's external trade policies have undergone important changes during the past two decades after the signing of the WTO Agreement and the regional trade agreements (RTAs) with varied implications on different sectors of the economy. Technically, while the schedule of commitments under the WTO Agreement set the benchmark for tariff policies the RTAs are meant for further tariff concessions. Broadly, there are three broad streams of tariff regime under the RTAS, viz; tariff elimination, tariff reduction and the exclusion list. The tariff rates of goods under tariff elimination category will be zero whereas tariff rates for the goods under tariff reduction category will be subjected to reduction during the implementation period. Conversely, tariff rates of goods under the exclusion list are excluded from any change. A comprehensive understanding on the tariff policies pursued by India under various RTAs is crucial from the commercial and policy angles. Although India is a signatory to 23 trade agreements, rubber and rubber products are covered only in 11 trade agreements. The book titled “India's Tariff Policies on Rubber and Rubber Products under Regional Trade Agreements” by Joby Joseph, T. Siju and Tharian George K. is a compendium of product wise classification of tariffs on rubber and rubber products under different RTAs. This is a pioneering sector specific attempt to classify all the rubber and rubber products covered under Chapter 40 of the Harmonised System Nomenclature of the World Customs Organisation based on the tariff policy pursued by India under different RTAs. A reader could easily understand the tariff policies pursued by India for different rubber products and the time schedule of duty reduction, if any, under different agreements. In essence, this book is a valuable reference material for all concerned with India's rubber sector. It is published by the Rubber Research Institute of India and is a priced publication