CONSUMERS FOR WORLD TRADE ASSESS TRADE RESTRAINTS

CONSUMERS FOR WORLD TRADE ASSESS TRADE RESTRAINTS    At a hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission, Consumers for World Trade called on the U.S. government to provide a clear assessment of the consumer costs of significant trade restraints.
   The hearing was part of a periodic review of government restrictions on imports of products.
   “The basic truth is that most consumers have no way of relating the cost of a product to our trade policy,” said Robin Lanier, CWT’s executive director, in a statement before the commission. “It would almost be helpful if we had a separate price tag on garments, or jars of peanut butter, or candy bars that showed the costs that result from government regulation and intrusion into the free market.”
   The ITC has published two updates of a report titled “The Economic Effects of Significant U.S. Import Restraints,” and today’s hearing was part of the public comment process for issuing a third update of this report.