January 4, 2006 Volume 6 Number 1
What the Doha Negotiations
Mean for Consumers
During the week
of December 12, trade ministers representing the 148 countries that comprise
the World Trade Organization met in Hong Kong to take stock of the current
round of negotiations launched in Doha, Qatar in 2000, and attempt to reach
consensus on how best to liberalize world trade. The agreement they eventually
hope to reach will build on the progress of past rounds of trade negotiations
and further reduce barriers to world trade. Progress has been made in some
areas, but the 148 member countries are having a very difficult time reaching
a consensus on some key areas. Read
how a successful outcome will save you dollars at the cash register while
boosting the economies of the developing world…
Kudos to Rep. Joe Knollenberg!
Bill Would Consider Consumers
CWT tips its hat
to Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) for introducing H.R.4217, a bill that would
give importing industries a seat at the table in anti-dumping and countervailing
duty cases. To date those U.S. manufacturers who import their raw materials
have no standing in cases where a U.S. industry requests duties to be imposed
on a competing import. This is a problem for downstream manufacturers, who
need access to these imports at competitive prices. By imposing a "protective"
duty on imported raw materials, such as steel for example, every company that
needs steel to manufacture its products must either absorb the higher cost,
or pass the cost along to its customers. Either way the importing company
takes a hit. Read how current
U.S. trade law impacts downstream industries (and ultimately their customers)
and what Rep. Knollenberg and the co-sponsors of his bill hope to do about
it…
The Senate Comes Through:
Byrd Amendment May Be Repealed in 2007!!
In a hair-raising 50-50 tie vote broken by Vice President Cheney on December
22nd, the U.S. Senate voted "yes" to passing the Deficit Reduction
Act of 2005, a bill intended to reduce federal spending. Among the bill's
provisions was an amendment to repeal the Byrd Amendment. The House is expected
to vote on the bill in February. Read
all about it…
CWT in the News
- On Nov. 10th, CWT submitted comments on the need to renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Read them.
- On Nov. 23rd, CWT sent a letter to the Senate explaining the need to repeal the Byrd Amendment. Read it.
- On Dec. 1st, CWT hosted an event on the Doha Agricultural negotiations.
- On Dec. 6th, CWT hosted an event on the Doha Non-Agricultural negotiations.
- On Dec. 30th, CWT submitted comments to the U.S. Dept of Agriculture regarding the 2007 Farm Bill. Read them.
- On Jan. 12th, 2006,
CWT will host a breakfast event on the methodologies used by the U.S. Dept
of Commerce to calculate duties and the tendency to inflate them at consumer
expense. Click here
for event details.