Seaport tariffs: Challenges to application, implications for the Caribbean
By Karen A. Adair *
This 3-part technical paper (serialised in Portside Caribbean journal, Vol.1, Nos. 4, 5 and 6) outlines the major factors that impact the development and implementation of seaport tariffs in the Caribbean region.
A seaport tariff is a schedule of duties based on an assessment by the port authority (but not necessarily collected by them) or a private port on import and export cargo of that specified port/ terminal. It may also include a listing of charges arising from the usage of services at the facility. The extent to which a port is able to develop a range of tariff-related charges varies and mirrors the quantity of services that it is able to offer.
As a cost recovery tool, the role of tariff has changed significantly internationally, hence the need for Caribbean ports leadership to reconsider their approach and strategy. Subheads and sections include:
- OBJECTIVES OF SEAPORT TARIFF
- CLASSIFICATION OF SEAPORT TARIFF
- METHODOLOGIES FOR THE CARIBBEAN REGION
◊ Approaches to Tariff Design
◊ Cost Recovery and Profitability Models
◊ Tariffs and Subsidies
◊ Frequency of Tariff Review & Review Methodology
◊ Factors Generic to the Development of Tariff
◊Tariff Comparison Challenges
◊ Comparison of Basic Services.
LINK TO: ‘Seaport tariffs: Challenges to application and implications for the Caribbean’
* Karen Adair, PhD., consultant in port reform and trade facilitation, is a senior lecturer at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (now Caribbean Maritime University) where she also has responsibilities for the Customs Freight Forwarding and Immigration programme.
> Seaport Tariffs – Challenges
