Letter to Rep. William Thomas, Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee Urging Congress to Move "JOBS" Bill to the President

October 1, 2004

Urgent Action Needed- Punitive Tariffs on U.S. Exports Rise to 12%

The Honorable William M. Thomas
Chairman
House Ways and Means Committee
2208 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Thomas:

The 353 undersigned businesses and associations strongly urge the House and Senate to conclude the conference on the FSC/ETI Bill (H.R. 4520) in October.

Earlier this year both the House and Senate passed different versions of legislation that would both enable the United States to comply with our WTO obligations and help improve the competitive position of U.S. businesses. It is imperative that Congress act as soon as possible to reconcile these two bills and send final legislation to the President.

The E.U.'s retaliatory tariff now stands at 12 percent on as much as $4 billion per year of American products. Further Congressional delay will ultimately result in tariffs of 17 percent. Affected products range from jewelry, agriculture, wood products, toys, textile, apparel and footwear products to refrigeration equipment, iron and steel products, construction equipment, industrial trucks, and paper products. Workers in these areas are not the only ones negatively impacted by the failure of Congress to act. Exports also support jobs in other parts of the economy including wholesaling, transportation, finance, and the service sector. These retaliatory tariffs continue to hurt U.S. exports to Europe and negatively impact jobs of American workers.

Resolving the FSC/ETI export tax issue before the election is essential to both our businesses' bottom line and our workers' jobs. Thank you in advance for doing your part to send a FSC/ETI bill to the President's desk without delay, thus minimizing the economically devastating trade sanctions on U.S. products and their impact on the American workers who produce them.

Sincerely,