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import barrier

import barrier

5.5
A rule or tax that limits goods coming into a country
  • noun
  • /ˈɪmpɔrt ˈbæriər/
translation icon : barrera de importación
  • Foreign direct investment in industrial projects in the Third World today often seeks markets in those countries for the commodities produced there, perhaps in the process getting around import barriers and high import tariffs.

Examples

  • To encourage growth, the government plans to eliminate existing import barriers that hinder foreign goods from entering the market.

  • His administration put in place initiatives that privatized state-owned companies, diminished subsidies and import barriers, and controlled bureaucratic growth.

    Academic text (1996)
  • By the early 1990s, import barriers had been reduced and foreign investment deregulated.

    Academic text (2000)
  • However, household income and consumption post significant gains as import barriers are reduced and domestic purchasing power rises.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Private capital has been adversely affected by some policy reforms, such as the removal of import barriers.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Without tariffs, quotas, and other import barriers, there would be less rent to extract and thus less scope for performance requirements.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Congress wanted to subsidize domestic ethanol and not imported ethanol, so the import barrier was created.

    Academic text (2008)
  • They have already eliminated most of their own import barriers, so such an initiative would require the rest of the world to catch up with them, expanding their exports and creating high-paying jobs.

    Academic text (1999)
  • If existing E.C. import barriers to Eastern Europe's agricultural products were relaxed, these exports could help finance much-needed imports of machinery and increase production.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Raising import barriers can protect local industries but might lead to higher prices for consumers.

Synonyms

trade barrier
vsimport barrier
  • Specialized
9 5.0

A government rule that limits goods from other countries, for example by charging extra tax or setting limits

focuses specifically on limiting goods entering a country rather than all trade
import duty
vsimport barrier
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A tax the government charges on goods brought into a country

is about restricting goods through rules rather than simply collecting taxes
customs duty
vsimport barrier
1 3.5

A tax the government charges on goods brought into or sent out of a country

focuses on limiting incoming goods, not on taxes for border movements
trade protection
vsimport barrier
1 5.0

Laws that put taxes or limits on imports to help local businesses against foreign competition

can be any regulation restricting foreign goods and not always protective
anti-dumping duty
vsimport barrier
  • Specialized
6.8

A tax on cheap imported goods to protect local businesses

applies generally to restrict foreign goods, not only to unfair pricing cases

How Restrictive

to ban
  • Formal
484 1.4
embargo
  • Formal
150 6.8
import barrier
5.5
quota
470 3.8
tariff
270 5.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

import + barrier

The phrase combines 'import' (bringing goods from abroad) with 'barrier' (an obstacle) in a straightforward compositional way: an obstacle to imports. This noun–noun construction and the concept of restrictions on imports is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Import barrier paints a simple picture: import (goods coming into a country) and barrier (a fence, gate, or wall) that stops them from entering. That's why the phrase means a rule or policy that 'limits' or 'blocks' goods from other countries.