At the 13th Ministerial Conference held recently, the World Trade Organization member countries once again agreed not to impose customs duties on the trade of digital goods
The 164 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have yet again agreed to maintain the current practice of not imposing duties on electronic transmissions until the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), scheduled to happen in March 2026. WTO members held MC13 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from February 26 to March 2, 2024.
India, South Africa, and Indonesia have been voicing uncertainties about the extension or a permanent moratorium, citing a huge loss of revenue and hurting digital development as domestic players face intense competition from global big tech companies. The losses of developed countries are minimal as compared to those of developing countries.