During the months of February and March 2016, USCIB staff met with Mark Linscott and Jai Motwane (USTR) on the WTO and TTIP negotiations, participated in APEC ITC, Customs, and Health meetings, represented members at OECD meetings on Investment, anti-Bribery, and State-Owned Enterprises, submitted formal comments to the ITC on the TPP, met with CBP and USTR about TPP and the MPF, spoke on panels in D.C., Paris, and Silicon Valley, and much more.
Inside:
USCIB Trade Committee Meets with Mark Linscott and Jai Motwane from USTR
At the March meeting of the USCIB Trade and Investment Committee, members met with Mark Linscott, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs, and USTR Senior Director for Services and Investment, Jai Motwane. They provided a wide-ranging assessment of the WTO post-Nairobi, and discussed, among other topics, the recently concluded TTIP Investment discussions.
USCIB Provides Written Submission to ITC on TPP
In February, USCIB made a written submission to the International Trade Commission on the TPP, which highlighted USCIB’s belief that the TPP will contribute substantially to economic growth in the United States and the Asia-Pacific region, cement U.S. global leadership and provide significant new opportunities for U.S. businesses, workers and farmers. The submission presented views on specific issues covered by chapters of the TPP of particular interest to our members.
Commerce/USTR Officials Brief USCIB Members on “EU-U.S. Privacy Shield” Data Transfer Framework and APEC Privacy-Related Work
During USCIB’s March ICT Policy Committee meeting, members were briefed by Krysten Jenci and Michael Rose from the Commerce Department, and Robb Tanner from USTR on key features of the new EU-U.S. Privacy Shield as well as the implications of the agreement for the TTIP negotiations.
USCIB Submits Comment Letters to IRS and OECD
On March 22, 2016, USCIB submitted a comment letter to the IRS on its proposed regulations under section 6038 addressing the effective date and the resulting gap year, the date of filing, constituent entities and the MNE group, and several other issues raised by members. USCIB also submitted a letter to the OECD advocating for mandatory binding arbitration and strongly supporting short-form arbitration.
CBP Presents to USCIB Customs Committee on TPP and MPF Changes
CBP Senior Trade Advisor, Maria Luisa Boyce, delivered a presentation on Merchandise Processing Fees and the TPP to the USCIB Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee at its March meeting. Boyce walked members through the background they had developed using ACE data. USCIB is working with members to assess the impact of the MPF changes.
