The Upstream Tariff Simulator (UTAS)

Increased international production fragmentation implies that firms at home rely on imported intermediates for production. In this context, tariff policy design needs to consider the impact downstream of changes in tariffs upstream. Policy makers embarking on tariff reforms need to answer questions such as: what is the impact of tariff changes on production costs downstream? What are the key input tariffs that could be reduced to lower production costs in priority sectors considering sectors' backward linkages? Or how will a tariff rationalization plan that focuses on tariff reductions in raw materials and intermediates affect effective protection across sectors? This paper presents the Upstream Tariff Simulator, a simple Microsoft Excel–based tool designed to help policy makers answer these questions, by combining information on tariffs and input-output structures and allowing alternative sectoral aggregations, and alternative market structures for input markets. It provides the underlying conceptual framework and a range of examples that show the insights that the tool can provide to policy makers when analyzing the impact of tariff reforms.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Eberhard-Ruiz, Andreas, Varela, Gonzalo J., Casal, Lucia, Ganz, Federico
Format: Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2020-02
Subjects:TARIFF POLICY, TRADE POLICY, INPUT-OUTPUT ECONOMICS, SIMULATION, TARIFF PROTECTION, EFFECTIVE PROTECTION, EFFECTIVE RATE OF PROTECTION, TARIFF REFORM, INPUT MARKET, IMPORT INTERMEDIATES,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/304221582227572364/The-Upstream-Tariff-Simulator-UTAS-A-Tool-to-Assess-the-Impact-of-Tariff-Reform-on-Input-Costs-and-Effective-Protection-across-Sectors
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/33390
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