Washington, D.C. – In March 2009, Mexico applied a first round of retaliatory tariffs on 89 products exported from the United States as a result of a cross-border trucking dispute between the two countries. Following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cross-Border Motor Trucking signed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Mexican Secretary of Communication and Transportation Dionisio Arturo Pérez-Jácome Friscione this week, the Government of Mexico posted official notice that beginning today it reduced those duties by fifty percent. In response, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk today issued the following statement:
“At President Obama’s direction, the cross-border trucking dispute between the U.S. and Mexico has been resolved in a way that addresses safety concerns and upholds our trade obligations. With Mexico’s announcement that it has cut tariffs on products exported from the U.S. by half, American manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and companies will be able to better compete for customers in Mexico. Many of our workers build, grow and produce products that are then sold to our neighbors in Mexico, and this Administration is committed to expanding their opportunities to support well-paying jobs here at home and to continue rebuilding the U.S. economy.”
You can view a list of the products and tariff reductions here.
