At least, says an Argentine official, his government wants in future to apply the common tariff only to a restricted range of goods.

ECONOMIST: Another blow to Mercosur

They include getting rid of non-tariff barriers (eg, by harmonising food-safety rules) and allowing free trade in services and government purchases, as well as eliminating the many exceptions to the common tariff.

ECONOMIST: Another blow to Mercosur

But there has been even less progress towards a common external tariff.

ECONOMIST: Mercosur’s malaise | The

Brazil and Argentina are keeping a common external tariff on cars of 35% down from Brazil's current 49%, but higher than the 20% it originally announced.

ECONOMIST: Double parked

The fact is that this strategic tariff aversion plan, which is as legal and common as off-the-shelf tax minimization software at Best Buy, was the brainchild of the U.S. domestic furniture industry before it filed the case in 2004.

FORBES: Why Antidumping Duties On Chinese Furniture Don't Save U.S. Jobs