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Explainer-What is the World Trade Organization e-commerce moratorium?
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Summary
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST YAOUNDE, March 28 : The e-commerce moratorium is a global agreement among World Trade Organization members which bans customs duties being applied to electronic transmissions such as digital downloads and streaming. The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth. ARGUMENTS FOR EXTENSION WTO members with large digital economies such as the U.S., the EU, Canada and Japan want the moratorium permanently extended because they say it ensures predictability for global digital trade. COUNTRIES' POSITIONS AT THE CAMEROON MEETING Four formal proposals have been submitted for the e-commerce moratorium at the Cameroon ministerial conference.
## Summary
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST YAOUNDE, March 28 : The e-commerce moratorium is a global agreement among World Trade Organization members which bans customs duties being applied to electronic transmissions such as digital downloads and streaming. The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth. ARGUMENTS FOR EXTENSION WTO members with large digital economies such as the U.S., the EU, Canada and Japan want the moratorium permanently extended because they say it ensures predictability for global digital trade. COUNTRIES' POSITIONS AT THE CAMEROON MEETING Four formal proposals have been submitted for the e-commerce moratorium at the Cameroon ministerial conference.
## Article Content
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Explainer-What is the World Trade Organization e-commerce moratorium?
A logo is pictured on the World Trade Organization headquarters (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, March 4, 2021. Picture taken March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
28 Mar 2026 09:37PM
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YAOUNDE, March 28 : The e-commerce moratorium is a global agreement among World Trade Organization members which bans customs duties being applied to electronic transmissions such as digital downloads and streaming.
The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth.
It covers cross-border transmissions such as software downloads, e-books, music and movie streaming and video games.
Originally intended to be temporary, the tariff moratorium has been renewed roughly every two years at each WTO ministerial conference, and was most recently extended for two years at the 13th conference in 2024.
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It is set to expire this month at the 14th WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon.
ARGUMENTS FOR EXTENSION
WTO members with large digital economies such as the U.S., the EU, Canada and Japan want the moratorium permanently extended because they say it ensures predictability for global digital trade.
The U.S. wants major American tech businesses such as Amazon, Microsoft and Apple to have a stable regulatory environment without the fear and costs of countries introducing duties that could impact cross-border digital trade.
More than 200 global business organisations signed a joint statement calling for an extension of the moratorium.
Its lapse would raise costs, fragment the internet and hinder the ability of businesses to participate in cross-border digital trade, the International Chamber of Commerce says.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST EXTENSION
Some developing nations, including India which has long opposed the moratorium, contend its extension would deprive them of tariff revenue to fund infrastructure and close the digital divide.
Sofia Scasserra of the Transnational Institute think tank said the moratorium has failed to bolster digital economies in developing countries, and instead entrenches dominance by U.S. and other advanced Big Tech giants.
A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) research paper in 2019 estimated that developing countries faced a potential tariff revenue loss of $10 billion in 2017 from the moratorium.
However, an OECD study found the potential revenue loss could largely be offset by value added tax or goods and services tax applied to imported digital services.
COUNTRIES' POSITIONS AT THE CAMEROON MEETING
Four formal proposals have been submitted for the e-commerce moratorium at the Cameroon ministerial conference.
The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group proposes extending the moratorium until the next ministerial conference. The U.S. wants a permanent extension.
A group including Switzerland proposes a permanent extension and establishing a committee on digital trade, and a Brazil plan proposes extending until the next conference and creating a digital trade committee.
Source: Reuters
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---
## Expert Analysis
### Merits
N/A
### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less It is set to expire this month at the 14th WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon.
### Implications
- The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth.
- The U.S. wants major American tech businesses such as Amazon, Microsoft and Apple to have a stable regulatory environment without the fear and costs of countries introducing duties that could impact cross-border digital trade.
- However, an OECD study found the potential revenue loss could largely be offset by value added tax or goods and services tax applied to imported digital services.
### Expert Commentary
This article covers digital, trade, moratorium topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 701.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST YAOUNDE, March 28 : The e-commerce moratorium is a global agreement among World Trade Organization members which bans customs duties being applied to electronic transmissions such as digital downloads and streaming. The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth. ARGUMENTS FOR EXTENSION WTO members with large digital economies such as the U.S., the EU, Canada and Japan want the moratorium permanently extended because they say it ensures predictability for global digital trade. COUNTRIES' POSITIONS AT THE CAMEROON MEETING Four formal proposals have been submitted for the e-commerce moratorium at the Cameroon ministerial conference.
## Article Content
Advertisement
Business
Explainer-What is the World Trade Organization e-commerce moratorium?
A logo is pictured on the World Trade Organization headquarters (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, March 4, 2021. Picture taken March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
28 Mar 2026 09:37PM
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Bookmark
Share
Telegram
Set CNA as your preferred source on Google
Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
YAOUNDE, March 28 : The e-commerce moratorium is a global agreement among World Trade Organization members which bans customs duties being applied to electronic transmissions such as digital downloads and streaming.
The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth.
It covers cross-border transmissions such as software downloads, e-books, music and movie streaming and video games.
Originally intended to be temporary, the tariff moratorium has been renewed roughly every two years at each WTO ministerial conference, and was most recently extended for two years at the 13th conference in 2024.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
It is set to expire this month at the 14th WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon.
ARGUMENTS FOR EXTENSION
WTO members with large digital economies such as the U.S., the EU, Canada and Japan want the moratorium permanently extended because they say it ensures predictability for global digital trade.
The U.S. wants major American tech businesses such as Amazon, Microsoft and Apple to have a stable regulatory environment without the fear and costs of countries introducing duties that could impact cross-border digital trade.
More than 200 global business organisations signed a joint statement calling for an extension of the moratorium.
Its lapse would raise costs, fragment the internet and hinder the ability of businesses to participate in cross-border digital trade, the International Chamber of Commerce says.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST EXTENSION
Some developing nations, including India which has long opposed the moratorium, contend its extension would deprive them of tariff revenue to fund infrastructure and close the digital divide.
Sofia Scasserra of the Transnational Institute think tank said the moratorium has failed to bolster digital economies in developing countries, and instead entrenches dominance by U.S. and other advanced Big Tech giants.
A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) research paper in 2019 estimated that developing countries faced a potential tariff revenue loss of $10 billion in 2017 from the moratorium.
However, an OECD study found the potential revenue loss could largely be offset by value added tax or goods and services tax applied to imported digital services.
COUNTRIES' POSITIONS AT THE CAMEROON MEETING
Four formal proposals have been submitted for the e-commerce moratorium at the Cameroon ministerial conference.
The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group proposes extending the moratorium until the next ministerial conference. The U.S. wants a permanent extension.
A group including Switzerland proposes a permanent extension and establishing a committee on digital trade, and a Brazil plan proposes extending until the next conference and creating a digital trade committee.
Source: Reuters
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Subscribe here
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Download here
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Join here
Advertisement
Also worth reading
Content is loading...
Advertisement
Expand to read the full story
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cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
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FAST
---
## Expert Analysis
### Merits
N/A
### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less It is set to expire this month at the 14th WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon.
### Implications
- The policy was first adopted in 1998 at the WTO's Second Ministerial Conference in Geneva as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth.
- The U.S. wants major American tech businesses such as Amazon, Microsoft and Apple to have a stable regulatory environment without the fear and costs of countries introducing duties that could impact cross-border digital trade.
- However, an OECD study found the potential revenue loss could largely be offset by value added tax or goods and services tax applied to imported digital services.
### Expert Commentary
This article covers digital, trade, moratorium topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 701.
digital
trade
moratorium
conference
fast
extension
wto
ministerial
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