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Generalized System of Preferences

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rich countries, domestic producers of "simple" manufactured goods, such as textiles, leather goods, ceramics, glass and steel, have long claimed that they could not compete with large quantities of imports. Thus, such products have been categorically excluded from GSP coverage under the U.S. and many other GSP programs. Critics assert that these excluded products are precisely the kinds of manufactures that most developing countries are able to export, the argument being that developing countries may not be able to efficiently produce things like locomotives or telecommunications satellites, but they can make shirts.
159: 22: 235:. This exemption allowed contracting parties to the GATT (the equivalent of today's WTO members) to establish systems of trade preferences for other countries, with the caveat that these systems had to be "generalized, non-discriminatory and non-reciprocal' with respect to the countries they benefited (so-called "beneficiary" countries). Countries were not supposed to set up GSP programs that benefited just a few of their "friends.' 134:" (MFN). MFN status provides equal treatment in the case of tariff being imposed by a nation but in case of GSP differential tariff could be imposed by a nation on various countries depending upon factors such as whether it is a developed country or a developing country. Both the rules comes under the purview of 259:
Supporters note that even in the face of its limitations, it would not be accurate to conclude that GSP has failed to benefit developing countries, though some concede GSP has benefited developing countries unevenly. Some assert that, for most of its history, GSP has benefited "richer developing"
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Criticism has been leveled noting that most GSP programs are not completely generalized with respect to products, and this is by design. That is, they don't cover products of greatest export interest to low-income developing countries lacking natural resources. In the United States and many other
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From the perspective of developing countries as a group, GSP programs have been a mixed success. On one hand, most rich countries have complied with the obligation to generalize their programs by offering benefits to a large swath of beneficiaries, generally including nearly every non-OECD member
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followed the lead of UNCTAD and enacted two waivers to the MFN that permitted tariff preferences to be granted to developing country goods. Both these waivers were limited in time to ten years. In 1979, the GATT established a permanent exemption to the MFN obligation by way of the
223:(UNCTAD) in the 1960s. Among other concerns, developing countries claimed that MFN was creating a disincentive for richer countries to reduce and eliminate tariffs and other trade restrictions with enough speed to benefit developing countries. 244:
state. Certainly, every GSP program imposes some restrictions. The United States, for instance, has excluded countries from GSP coverage for reasons such as being communist (
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system which provides tariff reduction on various products. The concept of GSP is very different from the concept of "
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The idea of tariff preferences for developing countries was the subject of considerable discussion within the
330: 288:. The U.S., however, has closed some of these gaps through supplemental preference programs like the 327:"2006 Wikileaks leaked cable from US Ambassador Sobel in Brasilia to WHA Assistant Secretary Shannon" 142: 169: 173: 32: 8: 401: 293: 248:), being placed on the U.S. State Department's list of countries that support terrorism ( 131: 285: 232: 405: 432: 384: 412: 362:"UNCTAD Database on Generalized System of Trade Preferences Utilization" 269: 265: 158: 21: 273: 245: 292:
and a newer program for Haiti and Europe has done the same with
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Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries
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on trends and utilization rates across reporting countries.
252:), and failing to respect U.S. intellectual property laws. 227: 349:"UNCTAD Introduction to Generalized System of Preferences" 145:
but MFN is only for not discriminating among WTO members.
135: 46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 221:United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 430: 187:. Unsourced material may be challenged and 413:"Japan Generalized System of Preferences" 207:Learn how and when to remove this message 106:Learn how and when to remove this message 431: 423:Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs 185:adding citations to reliable sources 152: 44:adding citations to reliable sources 15: 396:"Generalised Scheme of Preferences" 260:countries - in early years Mexico, 55:"Generalized System of Preferences" 13: 290:African Growth and Opportunity Act 141:GSP provides tariff reduction for 14: 455: 341: 120:Generalized System of Preferences 157: 20: 31:needs additional citations for 357:about GSP programs in general. 319: 1: 312: 7: 299: 10: 460: 238: 148: 389:U.S. Trade Representative 143:least developed countries 444:World Trade Organization 284:, and most countries in 439:United States trade law 421:'s GSP program by the 400:Information from the 383:Introduction to the 181:improve this section 126:, is a preferential 40:improve this article 402:European Commission 387:GSP program by the 294:Everything But Arms 132:most favored nation 286:sub-Saharan Africa 408:GSP arrangements. 366:Information from 353:Information from 217: 216: 209: 116: 115: 108: 90: 451: 417:Introduction to 416: 399: 382: 365: 352: 335: 334: 329:. Archived from 323: 212: 205: 201: 198: 192: 161: 153: 111: 104: 100: 97: 91: 89: 48: 24: 16: 459: 458: 454: 453: 452: 450: 449: 448: 429: 428: 411: 394: 373: 360: 347: 344: 339: 338: 325: 324: 320: 315: 302: 241: 233:enabling clause 213: 202: 196: 193: 178: 162: 151: 112: 101: 95: 92: 49: 47: 37: 25: 12: 11: 5: 457: 447: 446: 441: 427: 426: 409: 392: 381:on 2005-04-14. 377:Archived from 371: 358: 343: 342:External links 340: 337: 336: 333:on 2011-07-18. 317: 316: 314: 311: 310: 309: 301: 298: 240: 237: 215: 214: 197:September 2013 165: 163: 156: 150: 147: 114: 113: 28: 26: 19: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 456: 445: 442: 440: 437: 436: 434: 424: 420: 414: 410: 407: 403: 397: 393: 390: 386: 380: 376: 372: 369: 363: 359: 356: 350: 346: 345: 332: 328: 322: 318: 307: 304: 303: 297: 295: 291: 287: 283: 279: 275: 271: 267: 263: 257: 253: 251: 247: 236: 234: 229: 226:In 1971, the 224: 222: 211: 208: 200: 190: 186: 182: 176: 175: 171: 166:This section 164: 160: 155: 154: 146: 144: 139: 137: 133: 129: 125: 121: 110: 107: 99: 88: 85: 81: 78: 74: 71: 67: 64: 60: 57: –  56: 52: 51:Find sources: 45: 41: 35: 34: 29:This article 27: 23: 18: 17: 379:the original 331:the original 321: 258: 254: 242: 225: 218: 203: 194: 179:Please help 167: 140: 123: 119: 117: 102: 93: 83: 76: 69: 62: 50: 38:Please help 33:verification 30: 433:Categories 313:References 66:newspapers 270:Singapore 266:Hong Kong 168:does not 96:June 2017 300:See also 274:Malaysia 404:on the 246:Vietnam 239:Effects 189:removed 174:sources 149:History 80:scholar 375:"U.S." 368:UNCTAD 355:UNCTAD 308:(GSTP) 272:, and 262:Taiwan 128:tariff 82:  75:  68:  61:  53:  419:Japan 282:Nepal 278:Haiti 250:Libya 122:, or 87:JSTOR 73:books 385:U.S. 228:GATT 172:any 170:cite 118:The 59:news 183:by 136:WTO 124:GSP 42:by 435:: 406:EU 296:. 280:, 268:, 264:, 138:. 425:. 415:. 398:. 391:. 364:. 351:. 210:) 204:( 199:) 195:( 191:. 177:. 109:) 103:( 98:) 94:( 84:· 77:· 70:· 63:· 36:.

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"Generalized System of Preferences"
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tariff
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United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
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