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protective tariff

protective tariff

1 6.6
A tax on goods from other countries that makes them more expensive to help local businesses
  • noun
  • /prəˈtɛktɪv ˈtærɪf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arancel protector
  • The government recently imposed a protective tariff on imported steel to support local manufacturing.

Examples

  • They then pursued import substitution industrialization behind protective tariff walls before embarking on an export manufacturing strategy.

    Academic text (1992)
  • But unlike Garfield, who had carefully avoided issues in his addresses, Harrison spoke often on the virtues of the protective tariff as well as on the need for increased veterans' pensions and civil service reform.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In 1824, a high protective tariff was proposed by the US Congress.

    Blog text (33)
  • The U.S. could also resort to the protective tariffs that were responsible for its rise as an economic power.

    Blog text (23)
  • In return, China has countered with its own protective tariffs on American auto parts and chicken feet.

    Blog text (1)
  • Such a system used protective tariffs and revenue tariffs to restrict imports and to protect infant industries.

    Blog text (25)
  • The high protective tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were a particular cause of contention.

    Blog text (33)
  • Furthermore, because the United States enacted high protective tariffs on foreign products, those countries retaliated against raw materials exported by the Southern states.

    Blog text (33)
  • Protective tariffs, which sheltered American manufacturers from inexpensive imports, had never been erected on behalf of farmers.

    Blog text (12)
  • Since first using devices such as protective tariffs in the 1930s, a number of decentralized and semi-autonomous institutes have provided the government with economic instruments to facilitate economic policy-making.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

protectionism
vsprotective tariff
17 7.0

A government policy that helps local businesses by making foreign goods more expensive or limiting imports

is a single import tax used to make foreign goods more expensive
trade protection
vsprotective tariff
1 5.0

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

is a specific import tax measure rather than general import restrictions

Antonyms

57 3.5

Buying and selling between countries without government taxes or limits

How Protective

protective tariff
  • Specialized
1 6.6
free trade
57 3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

protective + tariff

The adjective 'protective' straightforwardly modifies 'tariff' to indicate a tariff whose purpose is protection; a learner who knows both words can infer it is a duty applied to protect domestic industry by making imports more expensive. This compositional purpose-based interpretation is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'arancel protector'), so the meaning is easily derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The phrase protective tariff comes from the idea that a tariff is a tax on goods from other countries and a protective shield for local businesses. By making imports more expensive, it 'protects' local industry from foreign competition.