LONDON—The United Kingdom government has approved reduced tire tariffs that will provide a baseline for negotiations for free trade agreements with the European Union, the U.S. and other countries.
Under U.K. Global Tariff, introduced May 19, tariff duties of 4 percent apply to all types of pneumatic tires imported to the country, while antidumping or countervailing duties may apply to certain products.
The figure replaces the EU external tariff, which stood at 4.5 percent.
There are no duties for natural rubber, natural rubber latex, camel-back strips of unvulcanized rubber for retreading tires as well as aircraft tires for use on civil aircraft.
The import of natural polymers and modified natural polymers, such as hardened proteins and chemical derivatives of natural rubber, also will have no tariffs under the new regime.
The new tariffs will go into effect in January 2021, when EU regulations no longer apply in the U.K., the government said.
Under the new regime, a 10 percent tariff applies to cars imported from countries with which Britain has no trade agreement.