Tunisia joined the list of beneficiary countries of Canada’s General Preferential Tariff (GPT) scheme – a programme which offers duty-free or preferential market access to imports of most products from a list of designated countries- the Export Pomotion Centre (French: CEPEX) said.
Tariff preferences (reduced tariffs or duty-free treatment) cover all products, except for textile and clothing, footwear, sensitive agricultural goods (including supply managed commodities) and some steel products.
Average data for 2019-2021 show Canada’s imports under the GPT amounted $332 million. These imports would have otherwise been subject to an average Most Favoured Nation (MFN) Tariff of 5 %.
The number of eligible developing countries under the General Preferential Tariff (GPT, introduced in 1974 and renewed every ten years, stands at 106, including 49 least developed countries (LDCs), accorfing to the Government of Canada website.
Since the last renewal, which took effect in 2015, beneficiary countries may be gradu
ated out of the GPT programme once they meet either one or two development-based criteria:
Two consecutive years of classification as an upper-middle or high income economy by the World Bank, or a minimum global exports share of 1 percent for two consecutive years according to World Trade Organization (WTO) data.