欧盟提议保护塑料瓶产业

快速阅读2　欧盟提议保护塑料瓶产业

布鲁塞尔消息——欧盟意欲对从伊朗、巴基斯坦和阿联酋进口的塑料施加新的贸易壁垒，因为这些国家非法援助那些为欧洲快速发展的软饮市场提供塑料的出口商。

据路透社周一所见之文件，欧盟的执行机构，欧盟委员会，意欲对从伊朗、巴基斯坦和阿联酋进口的瓶子和食品包装所用的塑料，每吨分别征收约140、44及42欧元的税。

去年，针对以上三国非法贸易补贴的指控进行了一次调查，此调查源于欧洲的塑料制造商宣称，非法的贸易操作正把他们挤出欧洲市场。调查后便有了此次的征税提议。

欧委会在结论中说道，“鉴于最终达成的结论，考虑对从伊朗、巴基斯坦和阿联酋进口的相关产品征收最终的反补贴税。”

下周，预计欧洲各国政府会广泛支持这个计划。外交家们评论说，团结起来反对来自外国的非法援助是欧盟的传统做法。

欧洲是塑料出口商的主要市场。据业界估计，全球每年售出的5千亿个塑料瓶中，欧洲人的购买量占五分之一，同时，他们也是世界食品包装业很重要的购买力量。

业界数据显示，正面临被征税的这种塑料——聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯或叫聚酯合成纤维，去年欧洲对其需求的总量约达300万吨，总价值约为30亿欧元，其中约100万吨来自进口。

在最终的结论中，欧委会放弃了对以上三国非法的市场倾销行为额外征税的计划。预计欧盟成员国也会支持这个决定。

欧洲已对来自一些国家，如中国、印度、印尼、韩国和马来西亚的塑料进口设置了贸易壁垒，而像西班牙La Seda集团这样的欧洲制造商已关闭了工厂，正在竞争中挣扎。

据欧委会文件中所述，征税遭到了可口可乐集团、达能和百事等多家公司的强烈反对。软饮制造商担心征税会导致塑料的短缺。

进口商和塑料瓶的制造商说，关税会榨取他们的利润，将他们自己的机会让给国外的竞争对手，却无法长期的解救当地的塑料制造业。

“这个产业现在萎靡不振，征收这些税只会使这种状态延续的更久，”塑料原料采购商GSI公司的首席执行官弗朗西斯科·赞奇如是说，此公司使用了进口至欧洲的聚酯合成纤维总量的40%。

“此案例中的国家会被征税，但欧盟各国政府的确应该开始考虑反对这些弊大于利的无意义的政策了。”

练习答案

I.

1. A tariff is a tax or duty levied on commodities when they cross national boundaries， normally an import duty， for the purpose of raising their selling price in the importing nation’s market to reduce competition against domestic producers. It is the most common method of restricting trade.

2. Ad valorem， specific， alternative， or compound.

An ad valorem is figured as a percentage on the value of goods. It may be based， depending on the country， either on the value of the goods landed at the port of destination， or at the port in the country of origin.

A specific duty relates to local currency per unit of goods based on weight， number， length， volume， or other unit of measurement.

An alternative duty is where either an ad valorem duty or a specific one can be prescribed for a product， with the requirement that the more exertive one shall apply.

A compound duty is a combination of an ad valorem duty and a specific one.

3. Contrary to tariff duties which are relatively transparent， non-tariff barriers are often more complex and difficult to sniff and therefore assess than tariffs. Furthermore， NTBs can have more trade-restrictive effects than tariffs.

4. Quotas and voluntary export restraints (VERs).

5. All the distinct forms may generally be classified under three principal headings： (a) direct government participation in trade， (b) customs and other administrative procedures， and (c) various standards.

II. 1. c 2. f 3. a 4. e 5. h 6. g 7. b 8. j 9. d 10. i

III.

关税会以下列四种形式出现：从价税、从量税、选择税或复合关税。最常使用的一种是从价税，是以商品价格的百分比计算，例如10%，20%或25%。根据不同国家，它们不是以到达目的港的商品价格为依据，就是以原产国港口的货物价格为依据。从量税是根据商品的重量、数量、长度、体积或其他单位来征税—例如，每磅或每码25美元。选择税，即规定对一种产品既可以征收从价税又可以征收从量税，最终按照税额更多的税种征收。复合关税，即对进口货物同时征收从量税和从价税，例如，征收商品价格的10%外加每千克1美元。

IV.

1. The union has asked the government to impose trade barrier on foreign cars.

2. Trade barriers usually consist of tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers.

3. Tariffs have declined worldwide from an average of 40% in 1940 to 7% in 1990.

4. The WTO has continued to push for the elimination of trade barriers.

5. We should reduce trade barriers and enhance economic and trade cooperation to a new level.

V. Omitted

快速阅读1

I. 1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T

II. 1. B 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. D

快速阅读2

I.

1. Because they illegally give aid to exporters who supply plastic for Europe’s rapidly growing soft-drinks market.

2. Allegations of illegal subsidies in the three countries， an investigation and then the proposal.

3. European plastics makers who say illegal trade practices are squeezing them out of Europe’s market.

4. Because they fear duties will translate into plastic shortages.

5. They will squeeze their profits and open their own operations to competition from abroad， while failing to save local plastics production long term.

II. 1. T 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. F