WTO Panel: On April 17, the World Trade Organization (WTO) released three panel reports on the cases brought by the European Union, Japan, and Chinese Taipei against India’s tariffs on certain goods in the information and communications technology sector. These cases were filed under “India – Tariff Treatment on Certain Goods in the Information and Communications Technology Sector” (DS582), “India – Tariff Treatment on Certain Goods” (DS584), and “India – Tariff Treatment on Certain Goods in the Information and Communications Technology Sector” (DS588), respectively.
The three panel reports are confidential, and the WTO will only release a public version of the reports once the translations into the WTO’s three official languages (English, French, and Spanish) are completed. However, the WTO did release a brief summary of the reports, stating that the panels found India’s tariffs on certain information and communication technology (ICT) products to be inconsistent with WTO rules.
The disputes center around India’s imposition of tariffs on ICT goods, which the complainants argue is in violation of India’s commitments under the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The ITA, which India signed in 1997, eliminates tariffs on a range of ICT products, including computers, semiconductors, and telecommunications equipment. India’s tariffs on these goods are seen as a barrier to trade and have been a contentious issue in the ongoing dispute.
The reports mark a significant development in the long-standing dispute, which began in 2019 when the three countries filed their cases against India. The release of the reports will now allow for a period of 60 days for parties to appeal the panel’s findings before the WTO’s Appellate Body.
Overall, the release of the panel reports is a significant development in the dispute over India’s tech tariffs and could have implications for trade relations between India and the three complainants.
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