U.S. unveils online FTA tariff tool

U.S. unveils online FTA tariff tool    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration and the Small Business Administration on Wednesday launched an online Free Trade Agreement Tariff Tool to more than 100 businesses and associations.
   The government said exporters now have an online resource that 'streamlines tariff information for 85 percent of goods going to 20 markets with which the U.S. has negotiated trade agreements. This information has never before been available free of charge online in one searchable database.'
   'By making information on tariff benefits U.S. companies receive under these agreements more accessible, the FTA Tariff Tool will make it possible for more companies to increase their exports to these markets,' said Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale, assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services, in a statement.
   The online tool combines tariff and trade data into a simple, easy-to-search public interface that allows small businesses and other U.S. exporters to find detailed information for the 17 U.S. trade agreement partners and three pending partners.
   'This will help small manufacturers with planning for entry into new export markets,' the government said. 'The tool also enables the user to access market and sector reports and other FTA-related information that is useful for small businesses seeking new export opportunities.'
   In 2010, exports to these 17 trading partners represented $522 billion of U.S. merchandise exports, up 23.1 percent from 2009. Manufactured goods represented 89 percent of the merchandise exports to these countries. The United States had a $21.1 billion trade surplus in manufactured goods with our FTA partners in 2010.
   The Web site housing the online tool also contains an instructional video, a quick start guide, and a user's manual.