[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1232-E1233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ENHANCING THE U.S.-INDIA TRADE PARTNERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE KELLY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, India has been our strategic 
partner for years and we should continue to strengthen this 
relationship. One way to do so is by enhancing our trade partnership. 
U.S.-India bilateral trade is nearly $100 billion--up from barely $15 
billion in 2000, but we can do better. Unfortunately, India's recent 
trend towards raising trade barriers has hampered this relationship, 
and both American firms and American workers have been on the losing 
end of these policies.
  These discriminatory policies jeopardize manufacturing and other jobs 
back at home in Pennsylvania. For example, India's system of cascading 
tariffs, taxes, and other import charges is often cost-prohibitive. The 
pronounced disparity between bound rates (rates that generally cannot 
be exceeded under WTO rules) and applied rates (the actual rates 
charged) means that India's average applied rate is among the highest 
in the world. Furthermore, India's trade-weighted average tariff rate 
is 8.2 percent versus the U.S. rate of 1.6 percent, burdening U.S. 
manufacturers and making U.S. exports cost-prohibitive for Indian 
consumers. Lastly, India's tariff schedule is hard to find in one 
public place and this lack of transparency and accessibility is also 
burdensome.
  By resolving these issues and seeking greater market-based reforms, 
we can strengthen the U.S.-India trade relationship and unleash the 
economic energy that will create prosperity for both the U.S. and 
India. This is a future worth striving towards.

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