WTO talks on e-commerce duties moratorium deadlocked as reform plan nears deal

YAOUNDE – WTO talks on extending a moratorium due to expire in March on customs duties for electronic transmissions such as digital downloads are deadlocked, diplomats said on March 29, although a wider reform plan is nearing a deal. The talks at a World Trade Organization meeting in Cameroon include efforts to bridge differences between the US and India over extending the e-commerce moratorium, which was first adopted in 1998 to help encourage early digital trade growth. In what is seen as a test for the WTO’s relevance, after a year of tariff-fuelled trade turmoil and major disruptions due to…