According to media sources, several member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have agreed not to impose customs duties on e-commerce transactions.
A WTO moratorium had exempted data flows from cross-border customs duties since 1998 and had been renewed at WTO ministerial conferences ever since. However, the failure to renew it at the 14th conference resulted in its expiration on March 30.
Without this moratorium, WTO members could apply customs duties to electronic transmissions such as downloads and streaming, although no such measures have yet been taken.
Last week, around twenty WTO members agreed not to impose customs duties on e-commerce. The full and exact list of signatory countries has not yet been officially published, but some sources mention Argentina, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.
Once made public, the list of countries that agreed not to apply customs duties to e-commerce transactions will bring stability to online trade among the signatories.