世界贸易组织《新冠肺炎疫苗生产及投入的关税》-35页_4mb

Summary of COVID-19 Vaccine Production and Tariffs on Vaccine Inputs

Core Content

This document provides an analysis of the most-favoured-nation (MFN) tariffs applied to vaccine production inputs among the top 27 vaccine manufacturing economies. The study uses HS six-digit codes to identify critical vaccine input categories and assesses their tariff levels and import shares to determine whether they represent market access barriers or "choke points".

Main Points and Key Findings

• Tariff Levels:

  • Switzerland has the lowest average MFN tariff at 1.5%, followed by the United States (2%) and Japan (2.1%).
  • Cuba and Iran have the highest tariffs at 10.3% and 11.9%, respectively.
  • Kazakhstan has an average tariff of 8.9%, with "vaccine ingredients" accounting for nearly a quarter of its imported vaccine inputs and having an average tariff of 28.6%.

• Choke Points:

  • A "choke point" is defined as a product group with an average MFN tariff of at least 5%.
  • Among the 27 top manufacturers, 23 have at least 5 choke points.
  • Argentina, India, and Iran have all 13 product groups with tariffs of 5% or higher, indicating high sensitivity to import costs.

• Critical Product Groups:

  • "Vaccine ingredients" is the most important product group and a major choke point for 17 economies, with an average tariff of 5.6%.
  • "Sterile bottles" and "Sterile connectors" are also significant choke points, with an average tariff of 5.9%.
  • "Bioreactor bags" is another critical group, with an average tariff of 5.9% and a high import share.
  • "Heat marker vaccine vial monitor" has the lowest average tariff (1.3%), except in Iran (32%).

• Import Share Impact:

  • High import shares increase the impact of tariffs. For instance, "vaccine ingredients" in Kazakhstan account for 26.1% of all vaccine inputs, and its tariff of 28.6% significantly affects costs.
  • In some economies, such as India, the import share of "vaccine ingredients" is 36.1%, which is a critical factor in determining the impact of tariffs.

• WTO Cooperation:

  • Member cooperation under the World Trade Organization (WTO) could support the reduction or elimination of these tariffs, which would help reduce costs and increase vaccine production to meet global demand.
  • The NAMA negotiations proposed eliminating low duties (tariffs below 5%), which could help alleviate market access issues.

Technical Details

• The analysis uses HS six-digit codes from the Joint Indicative List of Critical COVID-19 Vaccine Inputs.
• MFN tariffs from 2020 or the most recent available data were used.
• Import data from 2020 was used to determine the impact of tariffs on each product group.
• Preferential tariffs were not considered, so all imports were treated as if they were subject to MFN tariffs.
• There is a potential over-estimation of import values, as the exact breakdown of national tariff lines for specific vaccine inputs is not easily identifiable.

Choke Point Definitions

Summary of Choke Points

• Japan and the United States have no choke points, with average tariffs of 2% and 2.0%, respectively.
• Switzerland has one choke point ("metal crimp seals") at 5.2% despite its overall low tariff.
• Kazakhstan has one choke point in "vaccine ingredients", which has a high import share (26.1%) and an average tariff of 28.6%.
• "Vaccine ingredients" is the most critical group, with 17 economies having an average tariff of 5.6%.
• Ethanol, a vaccine ingredient, has extremely high tariffs in some countries, such as Kazakhstan (290.6%) and Belarus (290.6%).

Conclusion

High tariffs on vaccine inputs, particularly in developing countries, can impede global vaccine production and distribution. The analysis highlights the need for WTO cooperation to reduce or eliminate these tariffs, especially for critical product groups like "vaccine ingredients" and "sterile bottles". While some economies, such as Japan and the United States, have low tariffs, many others, including Argentina, India, and Iran, face significant market access barriers due to high tariffs across multiple product groups. Reducing these tariffs could help increase vaccine output and address global supply challenges.