charges having equivalent effect

charges having equivalent effect (to customs duties)

levies having effect as duty payable on a cross-border transfer of goods. The legal regime of the European union in attempting to establish a customs union prohibits not only customs duties but those charges that, if they were allowed, might seriously distort the market. A charge will be treated as subject to these rules if it is a levy imposed by a member state on goods when they cross a border, even if the charge is not formally called a customs duty but which does actually have the same blocking effect on the goods in question. Compare MEASURES HAVING EQUIVALENT EFFECT.