On April 26, Brazil will reactivate again on the agenda of the World Trade Organization, the complaint against Costa Rica for the imposition of a safeguard to increase the tariff on sugar.
Based on the willingness of Costa Rican authorities to raise the tariff on imported sugar from 45% to 73%, Brazil decided to raise the entry taxes on four animal products from Costa Rica.
Months ago, the private sector has been warning of the possibility that the country's trading partners would apply reciprocal measures because of Costa Rica's unilateral decision to raise entry taxes on imported sugar.
Following in Brazil's footsteps, Canada warned the WTO about the possibility of imposing compensation against the Costa Rican authorities' policy of raising the tariff on imported sugar from 45% to 73%.
After the Costa Rican authorities raised the tariff on imported sugar from 45% to 73%, the South American country decided to raise before the World Trade Organization, a process to exercise the right of suspension.
In June of this year, the Alvarado administration decided to increase to 79% and for the term of three years, the tariff on sugar entering the country.
Following an appeal filed by the importing company La Maquila Lama with the Costa Rican authorities, the government decided to reduce the additional tax on sugar purchased abroad from 34.27% to 27.68%.
With the reduction decreed by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), a decision that was published on August 18 in The Gazette, the total tax applied to imported sugar will be 72.68% (45% original plus 27.68% of the safeguard), which is slightly less than the 79.27% (45% original plus 34.27%), which was in force until before the enacted amendment.
Arguing that the unusual growth in sugar imports is harming local production, the Alvarado administration decided to raise the tariff on products entering Costa Rica from 45% to 73% for a three-year period.
The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) concluded the investigation requested by the Agricultural Industrial League of Sugar Cane (LAICA) and 4 mills, on the safeguard measure against imports of solid state, granulated sugar, known as white sugar, used for domestic and industrial consumption, justifying a deterioration in the main economic indicators of the National Production Branch (RPN), details an official statement dated June 15.
In Costa Rica, sugar producers are asking the government to raise tariffs or entry taxes on imports, and importers are opposing, as this would raise the final price to the consumer.
In July 2019, the Sugar Cane Industrial Agricultural League (LAICA) asked the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) to launch an investigation with the aim of imposing additional tariffs on imported sugar, arguing that purchases from abroad would damage local production.
Arguing that local production must be protected, Costa Rican sugar manufacturers demand that, in addition to the 45% common levy already charged on imported sugar, an additional tariff must be imposed.
The request was made by Liga Agricola Industrial de la Caña de Azucar (Laica) to the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), as businessmen claim that there is an exponential growth in sugar imports in recent years, which has put in check the Costa Rican sugar cane sector.
With a lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Trade in Costa Rica the virtually monopolistic Liga Agrícola Industrial de la Caña de Azúcar is attempting to limit the quotas for historical importers of the grain.
The administrative proceedings presented by Liga Agrícola Industrial de la Caña de Azúcar (LAICA) against the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX), aim to limit the quotas for historic imports of sugar, and could have consequences for other mass consumption products in the country.
Days after the Brazilian government noted that the additional duty of 6.82% violated the WTO anti-dumping agreement, the Solis administration has reduced it by half.
The Ministry of Economy partially upheld the appeal filed by the sugar importer Maquila Lama and decreased the additional tariff to 3.67%, on top of the 46% already paid on sugar imported from Brazil.
A change of minister in Costa Rica will aid in increasing the cost of sugar via an import tariff hike, harming consumers and the food industry, and increasing protection for the powerful sugar lobby.
EDITORIAL
The decision taken by the new chief of the Ministry of Economy reflects a clear interest in meddling in a process that should be resolved at a technical and non-political level.The decision to declare whether or not dumping occured in a particular market and what measures should be taken in response, corresponds to the office of Trade Defense, and should be free from any possible political bias.
The Ministry of Economy has decided to impose a new tax of almost 7% on sugar imported from Brazil, in response to a lawsuit brought by the union of local producers.
With this new protectionist measure the government is trying to put an end to a conflict that arose in 2015 between the Agricultural Cane League (Laica) and the importer Maquila Lama, when this company denounced a proposal to amend the regulation on sugar fortification claiming it attempted to restrict trade of imported grain.