It is a consensus that practicing free trade between countries is healthy and beneficial because it fosters the growth of economies. Furthermore, it creates competition between producers resulting in higher quality products at fairer prices. However, despite the fact that free trade is advocated for, countries still put restrictions on imports be they in the form of tariffs, subsidies embargos and standards.
Non tariff trade barriers (NTBs) were put into place with the primary concern of protecting the health of the citizens of a country in case importers try to bring goods that are health hazards. They also work to slow down the depletion of natural resources, for example, the banning of ivory tusks to protect elephants form going extinct. They also shelter weaker economies from ‘dumping’ by developed countries which would force them to under price their own commodities (Ball, 2004).
All these were positive objectives but NTBs have been criticized as being merely vehicles used to evade the free trade rules that have been stipulated by organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union. NTBs have also been criticized on the grounds that once they are enacted they play practically the same role as tariffs do (Ball, 2004).
Trade barriers can restrict the flow of goods between countries. Barriers can be to the advantage of consumer because they may reduce competition in the market leading to higher prices for goods that might not necessarily be of the best quality. Barriers lower the foreign exchange earned by a country because the tariffs discourage importers from bringing their goods into the country (Ball, 2004).
In this case, one has to look at the lesser of two evils and trade barriers are necessary because the international market is not a level playing field, thus countries should be allowed to come onto it on their own terms.
References
Ball Donald et al. International Business, The Challenge of Global Competition Edition. CA; -Hill, 2004.