17/12/2013
China will raise the benchmark for calculating the sliding scale tax on non-quota cotton imports from January 1, said the finance ministry on Monday.
Beijing allows 894,000 tonnes of cotton imports at a duty of 1 percent under commitments to the World Trade Organisation. It also typically allows for several thousand tonnes of imported fibre at a sliding tariff rate of between 5 and 40 percent.
For cotton valued at or higher than 15,000 yuan ($2,500) per tonne, a fixed duty of 570 yuan per tonne will be applied. This benchmark was set at 14,000 yuan per tonne in 2013.
For fibre valued at less than 15,000 yuan per tonne, the duties will be calculated according to a sliding scale formula issued by the ministry and slightly adjusted from last year.