Group of WTO states agrees not to impose e-commerce duties


Delegates attend the World Trade Organisation (WTO) 14th ministerial meeting in Yaounde, Cameroon, March 28, 2026. WTO/Handout via REUTERS

GENEVA, April ⁠2 (Reuters) - A group of states hasagreed ⁠not to impose e-commerce customs ‌duties among themselves after World Trade Organization members failed to agree on an extension to ​a long-running moratorium, a ⁠document showed on ⁠Thursday.

Days of talks among trade ministers in ⁠Cameroon's ‌capital Yaounde broke up on Monday with Brazil and ⁠Turkey blocking a bid to extend ​the WTO's ‌e-commerce moratorium in place for 28 ⁠years.

The ​23 countries which signed the agreement included the United States, Britain, Japan ⁠and Mexico. The WTO has ​166 members and requires consensus for global negotiations to be concluded.

The topic is ⁠set to be raised again by the broader membership at a meeting in Geneva in early May. It ​is not immediately clear ⁠whether any countries have already brought ​in new duties which ‌could apply to digital ​downloads and streaming.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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