THE US-Asean Business Council supports the extension of the World Trade Organization’s e-commerce moratorium as it plays a significant role in driving digital trade, job creation, and economic growth.
First agreed to in 1998, the Moratorium has never been made permanent and legally binding, but it has been renewed several times at the biennial WTO Ministerial Conferences. The current Moratorium, according to US-ABC, will expire unless renewed at the 12th Ministerial Conference in June 2022. The Moratorium also empowers e-commerce to strengthen investments in innovation, job creation, and economic growth between Asean member-states while allowing Asean-based companies to expand globally.
Further, the US-ABC said, imposing customs duties presents a technological challenge for officials, given the need to harmonize and implement the specific amount and value of electronic transmissions. Tariffs on the electronic transmissions that help promote research and development threaten companies who depend upon technology and data transfers to generate innovations and collaborate with colleagues across borders.