General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

Members must give most-favored-nation treatment (Article I), keep tariffs at or below bound rates (Article II), treat imports no less favorably than domestic goods (Article III), value goods under Article VII and generally avoid quotas (Article XI). Exceptions cover free trade areas (Article XXIV), safeguards (Article XIX) and national security (Article XXI). Since 1995, GATT 1994 is administered by the WTO, and disputes go to its dispute settlement system.

GATT's rules explain why tariff rates normally apply equally to all trading partners and why exceptions such as national security tariffs and free trade agreements are legally contested. For an e-commerce operator, GATT valuation and nondiscrimination principles shape how duty is assessed on every cross-border shipment. For example, the general duty column of the US tariff schedule lists the MFN rate that applies unless a trade agreement or special tariff changes it, which is why landed cost tools start from that column.

• World Trade Organization (WTO) Established1995 · The WTO takes over from GATT as the trade rules forum
• Kennedy Round1964–1967 · GATT talks cut industrial tariffs by about 35 percent
• Tokyo Round1973–1979 · GATT talks add the first codes on non-tariff barriers

• WTO Customs Valuation Agreement1994, in force 1995 · WTO rules on how customs value is calculated
• Trade Act of 19741974 · US law behind Section 301, 201 and 122 tariffs
• Cobden-Chevalier Treaty1860 · 1860 Anglo-French treaty that cut tariffs and spread MFN

1. WTO: The GATT years, from Havana to Marrakesh wto.org
2. WTO: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947 (text) wto.org