ICC welcomes push in WTO to keep digital commerce duty-free

ICC has welcomed a World Trade Organization agreement by 19 countries not to ‌impose duties on e-commerce following failure to reach agreement at the WTO 14th Ministerial meeting in Yaounde, Cameroon in March.

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ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said:

"This is a welcome sticking plaster - but businesses need real certainty, not patchwork fixes.

"The leadership shown by the 19 signatories to today's joint statement matters. They have recognised a basic economic reality: digital commerce must not be encumbered by customs duties and entirely unnecessary border frictions.

"But no one should pretend this is a substitute for a clear WTO-wide agreement. The lapse of the e-commerce moratorium at MC14 was a visible crack in the WTO rule book - and a worrying signal at a time when the real economy is already facing an unprecedented level of policy uncertainty.

"We urge other governments to join this initiative quickly - and to use it as a bridge back to a full restoration of the moratorium for a commercially appropriate period.

"The global economy does not need another self-inflicted shock. Keeping digital trade open, predictable and tariff-free is one of the simplest things governments can do right now to support growth, private investment and the development of SMEs."