Tariffs and taxes
It has long been recognized that tariffs and taxes influence
coffee consumption. The coffee community considers tariffs and taxes to be part
of a broader group of legal, political and administrative barriers to coffee
consumption (as mentioned for example in Article 33 of the 2001 International
Coffee Agreement).
Significant progress in reducing tariffs and taxes on coffee imports into
consuming countries has been made both through the various rounds of GATT and
more recently through negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade
Organization. However, while most tariff barriers have been removed for green
coffee, there remain a number of tariffs imposed on processed coffee that
continue to act as an effective barrier to importation of processed coffee into
consuming countries. In addition there are also a number of non-tariff barriers
still in place, such as quantitative restrictions and internal taxes that
continue to inhibit consumption.
See section 02.11.02 for World Tariffs on Processed Coffee.