Great good news! Australia has announced the elimination of tariffs on nearly 500 products!

On March 11, the Australian government announced a major decision, that is, starting from July 1, it will eliminate “minimum” tariffs on nearly 500 products, including toothbrushes, refrigerators, dishwashers, and menstrual and sanitary products. Household essentials. This measure is Australia’s largest unilateral tariff reform in the past 20 years and is expected to have a profound impact on the Australian economy.

According to Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the elimination of these “de minimis” tariffs will streamline annual trade worth nearly 8.5 billion Australian dollars (approximately 5.62 billion U.S. dollars) and save companies more than 30 million Australian dollars in annual compliance costs. In addition, the reform will reduce the cost of living for Australian families by more than $120 million over the next four years. This means Australian consumers will be able to purchase cheaper and more abundant goods, thereby improving their living standards.

Chalmers said these “de minimis” tariffs are called “nuisance tariffs” because they are so low that the cost to governments of imposing them is often higher than the revenue they generate. In addition, these tariffs have no protective effect. Instead, they increase the government’s administrative costs and impose additional burdens on businesses and workers. Therefore, eliminating these tariffs will provide a better business environment for companies and workers, promote economic development and employment growth.

In addition to scrapping “de minimis” tariffs, Chalmers also announced three other measures to modernize the economy, including streamlining approval processes, strengthening financial regulation and improving methods for evaluating mergers and acquisitions. These measures will reduce corporate compliance costs, increase productivity, and inject new impetus into Australia’s economic development.

At the same time, China’s review of tariffs on Australian wine is coming to an end. According to reports, China will complete the review of Australian wine tariff measures by the end of March and is currently reviewing lobster import restrictions. The news is good news for Australia’s wine and lobster exporters, who are expected to gain more market opportunities in the future.

In addition, although Australia’s economic growth slowed to 1.5% in the fourth quarter of last year, it still showed considerable resilience. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the current account surplus increased by A$10.524 billion in the fourth quarter of last year compared with the third quarter, mainly benefiting from the increase in exports of mineral commodities, especially the sharp rebound in coal exports to China. This shows that the economic and trade relations between Australia and China are gradually repairing, providing strong support for the moderate improvement of the Australian economy.

Overall, Australia’s elimination of “minimum” tariffs on nearly 500 commodities is a reform of major significance that will inject new vitality into the Australian economy. At the same time, the continued improvement of China-Australia economic and trade relations will also bring more cooperation opportunities and development space to the two countries.