Trade facilitation in the Caribbean : the case of customs performance

2009

During the past few decades, the landscape of the world economy has changed. New trade patterns reflect the globalization of the supply chain and intra-industry trade, and increasing flows between neighboring countries and trading blocs with similar factor endowments. Similarly, the approach to production, trade, and transportation has evolved incorporating freight logistics as an important value-added service in the global

CREDIT Research Paper, 2008

Measures to actively facilitate trade are increasingly seen as essential to assist developing countries in expanding trade and benefiting from globalisation. Although often viewed as narrowly concerned with the ease and speed of Customs procedures, even greater trade cost reductions and trade and welfare benefits may be reaped from a broader view of trade facilitation (TF) that incorporates transportation, distribution and communication issues. A number of TF reforms are particularly beneficial: improving procedures, especially Customs clearance; introducing automation and use of information technology; reducing excessive documentation requirements; addressing lack of transparency in import and export requirements; addressing lack of modernisation of and cooperation between Customs and other government agencies. The review identifies the types of TF reforms that could address these problems and deliver a return in terms of increased revenue collection efficiency, reductions in trade costs and promotion of greater regional cooperation (at least in Customs and transport, especially as many TF measures are appropriate for inclusion in regional integration agreements).

2005

This paper explores the fiscal effects of tariff reduction for the Caribbean Community.The paper concludes that Caribbean countries are likely to experience short-run revenue shortfall as a consequence of trade liberalization. Indications are that the shortfall could be as much as a 45 per cent decline in customs duties. In order to mitigate this substantial effect, the ongoing efforts at

Sustainability

The economy of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has traditionally depended on its energy sector as a key driver of economic activity. This sector, however, has been shown to be volatile and vulnerable to global economic shocks; this is no more evident than what has been observed during the coronavirus pandemic. Oil prices have, as a result declined significantly, and this has put the economy on a path of compounded economic misfortune. The non-energy trade sector though has traditionally been identified as having more stable export earning potential and as such in adjusting to the economic nuances of the global shock associated with the coronavirus pandemic, there is an opportunity for policy makers to reconsider the role of the non-energy sector. This paper provides an overview of trade facilitation policy considerations to boost the outcomes of the non-energy sector. We find that factors such as language, port infrastructure liner connectivity and customs impact on export performance.

The document assesses of the situation of the maritime sector in CARICOM and presents a series of new observations and issues. Challenges and barriers in the maritime sector, or problems created through inefficiencies in the maritime sector are analyzed for: maritime freight transport, cruise shipping, ports and yachting. Whilst the first three are part of the original structure of the study, the fourth is included to show the full extension of the maritime sector. To be able to understand the challenges and role of maritime transport in a regional and global context, it is essential to consider the physical geography of the CARICOM region; CARICOM is a "conglomerate" of states that have comparable historical development paths of colonial dependency. The countries are spread out throughout the Caribbean basin and do not form a continuous territory. While cooperation between this diverse group of countries has historically developed slowly, the ambitious goal to create a Ca...

Trade liberalisation is premised on the universalising assumptions of neoclassical economics, which provides a ‘one size fits all’ solution to all countries, regardless of their particular histories or their political and social contexts. It can best be understood as a series of policy reforms whereby free trade is encouraged through the reduction of tariffs, subsidies, and quotas which will in theory allow countries to focus on their respective comparative advantages. Yet, despite the insistence of the economists at the World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank, and International Monetary Fund (IMF), trade liberalisation has not benefited the Caribbean, and because of the inherent imbalance in power relations in many ways it has become collateral damage. In contrast to the claims of the international financial institutions, the Caribbean provides a stark and troubling example how globalisation and trade liberalisation can play havoc with a region’s traditional economic base, dismantling it and as a result tearing apart the social fabric in order to satisfy the interests of American multinational corporations such as Chiquita and Riceland Foods.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the New Zealand Customs Service have been working together since 2011. To date, $6.254m was provided by the New Zealand Aid Programme with an independent mid-point review (this evaluation). The evaluation focused on the overall coherence and future strategic direction of New Zealand’s investment in Customs capacity building in the Pacific, evaluated the effectiveness of the Partnership Arrangement as a management tool and informed the development of Partnership Arrangements with other State Sector partners.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2010

is a transportation specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank. Krista Lucenti is a trade consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank. Sebastián Galarza is a Magister en Políticas Públicas (MPP) at the Universidad de Chile. This paper represents the opinions of the authors and is the product of professional research. It is not meant to represent the position or opinions of the IDB or its Members or the official position of any staff members. Any errors are the fault of the authors. The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of ADBI, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Directors, or the governments they represent. ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.

In line with most developing countries, the last decade has seen Fiji adopt an export oriented, outward-looking approach to trade relations. Import restrictions have been largely lifted in favour of export promotion, and as such Fiji now has a more liberalized or open economy with increased volumes of both exports and imports