Interactive APEC tariff database pilot starts

Interactive APEC tariff database pilot starts    The National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (NCAPEC) and the U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB) have started the pilot phase of the APEC Interactive Tariff Database.
   The database provides business in the APEC region with a tool to make more efficient sourcing decisions based on up-to-date tariff information.
   'This database will save Levi Strauss & Co. time and money by organizing information from many of our key trading partners in an easily searchable manner,' said Laurie Goldman, senior manager of worldwide government affairs and public policy, for the apparel firm, in a statement. 'Access to accurate and up-to-date information allows us to remain competitive in the global business economy.'
   In 2009, APEC members agreed to make their customs and tariff information more transparent and available to the public. The industry expressed interest in taking that important progress one step further by creating a trade database that would be fully searchable based on Harmonized System classification numbers.
   This long-term initiative aims to draw attention to the lack of publicly available information on tariffs and preferential rules of origin, which have made it difficult for companies to take complete advantage of the many free trade agreements negotiated in the APEC region.
   'The APEC economies account for 58 percent of all U.S. exports, while our direct investment in the region totals some $820 billion,' said USCIB Executive Vice President Ronnie Goldberg. 'As we seek to increase our competitiveness, create good-paying jobs at home and achieve President Obama's goal of doubling U.S. exports within five years, companies will need access to new sources of information and market intelligence. This database is an important step in that direction.'
   The pilot phase of the APEC-wide tariff database is expected to test the concept of the database and obtain feedback and input from participating companies including 3M, Levi Strauss & Co. and Pfizer. The pilot will be active for a period of about six months and is expected to fully launch during the U.S. hosting of APEC in 2011.
   Integration Point supplies the platform to support the APEC Interactive Tariff Database. The company maintains up-to-date tariff information such as applied tariff rates, rules of origin, preferential trade treatment and scheduled future tariff rates among other vital sourcing information.