Mounting tariffs on ICT products and services hurt US exporters
A coalition of seven trade associations has urged the United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to make enforcement of India’s World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments a priority in future bilateral engagements and continue to provide support behind the ongoing dispute settlement cases brought by Japan, the EU, and Taiwan at the WTO, including through a renewed assessment of whether the U.S. government should initiate proceedings of its own.
The associations expressed their concerns in a letter to Tai outlining regarding India’s mounting tariffs on information communications technology (ICT) products and services.
“These most recent tariffs are indicative of a broader effort by the Indian government to pressure companies to localize more of their supply chain in India without regard for the country’s WTO commitments,” the letter said on 29 Mar 2021.
“We are concerned that, if left unchallenged, this trend will undermine the integrity of tariff bindings made at the WTO by all of its participants as countries seek new tools to force local production of goods, to the detriment of U.S. companies operating in and exporting to India and around the world,” it said.
The coalition is made of Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Coalition of Services Industries (CSI), the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), and US-India Business Council (USIBC).
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents more than 400 global companies that enable high-speed communications networks and accelerate next-generation ICT innovation. Through leadership in U.S. and international advocacy, technology programs, standards development, and business performance solutions, TIA and its members are accelerating global connectivity across every industry and market. TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The U.S. goods and services trade with India totaled an estimated US$146.1 billion in 2019. Exports were US$58.6 billion; imports were US$87.4 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade deficit with India was US$28.8 billion in 2019.
India is currently our 9th largest goods trading partner with US$92.0 billion in total (two way) goods trade during 2019. Goods exports totaled US$34.3 billion; goods imports totaled US$57.7 billion. The U.S. goods trade deficit with India was US$23.4 billion in 2019, said the United States Trade Representative Office in Oct 2020. #exports #technology #telecommunications #WTO #tariffs /fiinews.com
