Export Tariffs Changed for Some Chemicals    

On June 19th, the customs tariff committee of the State Council of China announced an export tariff adjustment package, involving some inorganic chemicals and fertilizers under 48 custom codes.
    This adjustment cancelled the special export tariffs (50% or 75%) on 27 items of products, including phosphate rock (apatite), yellow phosphorus, synthetic ammonia, phosphoric acid, ammonium chloride, triple superphosphate (TSP), sodium nitrate, and double nutrients compound fertilizers.
     On May 20th, 2008 given the supply shortage of phosphorus resource due to earthquake, the customs tariff committee started to levy a 100% special tariff on exports of phosphorus related inorganic chemicals, on the basis of an existed tariff of 10% or 20%. Ammonia, urea and some other fertilizers was also involved. To answer the claim of domestic fertilizer makers who were eager to cut high inventory accumulated in the chill time, the committee lowered the special tariff to 50% or 75% on December 1st, 2008.
     In the latest adjustment, the 5% temporary export tariff for sulfuric acid was eliminated, the temporary export tariff on fluorides, derivatives of molybdenum and tungsten was lowered from existed 10%-15% to 5%, in response to the claims from EU and USA. It remained unchanged to levy a 35% temporary export tariff on all apatite and 10% on other phosphorus monomer. The 30% temporary export tariff for fertilizer grade potassium nitrate and TSP was lowered to 10%. The temporary export tariff on hydrogen fluoride was adjusted from 25% to 15%. A 10% temporary export tariff for phosphoric acid ammonia, ammonium chloride, double nutrients compound fertilizers and sodium nitrate replaced the 50% or 75% special export tariffs. The 75% special export tariff was still reserved for urea, diammonia phosphate and monoammonium phosphate, with a narrowed applicable period.