New Estimates of the Average Tariff of the United States, 1790-1820

Doulgas A. Irwin

NBER Working Paper No. 9616
Issued in April 2003
NBER Program(s):   DAE   ITI

This paper presents new estimates of the average tariff on total and dutiable U.S. imports from 1790 to 1820. These previously unavailable series are comparable to the tariff figures available from 1821 in the Historical Statistics of the United States. These early tariffs were much lower, on average, than those imposed later in the nineteenth century. The paper stresses the importance of deducting drawbacks (tariff rebates on imported goods that are subsequently re-exported) from total customs revenue in calculating the average tariff and briefly examines the structure of tariffs across goods.

(147 K)

Published: Irwin, Douglas A. "New Estimates Of The Average Tariff Of The United States, 1790-1820," Journal of Economic History, 2003, v63(2,Jun), 506-513.

This paper is available as PDF (147 K) or via email.

Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX