Tollipoliitika

Tollipoliitika, or tariff policy, refers to a government's approach to imposing and regulating import duties on goods crossing its borders. It encompasses the design of tariff rates, the structure of duties (ad valorem, specific, or mixed), and the administration of tariff schedules.

Tariff instruments include ad valorem tariffs (a percentage of customs value), specific tariffs (a fixed amount per unit), and compound tariffs. Other tools commonly used alongside tariffs are tariff-rate quotas, exemptions, temporary measures, and targeted duties such as antidumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards.

The main objectives are revenue generation, protection of domestic industries, and adjustment of the trade balance, while also influencing consumer prices and inflation. Tariffs can raise government revenue, foster infant industry protection, and shape industrial structure, but they may raise costs for consumers, invite retaliation, and reduce import competitiveness. They interact with non-tariff barriers and broader macroeconomic policy.

In international trade, tariff policy operates within frameworks like the World Trade Organization. Tariffs are often bound or negotiated; MFN rates apply to most partners, while preferential schemes and regional agreements offer lower rates. Tariff schedules are implemented on the basis of the HS classification and published by customs authorities, providing transparency and predictability for traders.

The term tollipoliitika is commonly used in Estonian contexts to describe how a country uses tariffs to manage trade, and it is integrated with broader industrial and fiscal policy. In the European Union, tariff policy is coordinated through the Common Customs Tariff and harmonized rules, while individual member states retain administrative practices for collection and enforcement.