Issues Over the Expedition of the Panama Trade Agreement with U.S. Emerge

Agweek: Trade Agreement Moves Forward
U.S. Dept. of the Treasury: U.S., Panama Sign New Tax Information Exchange Agreement
Hispanically Speaking News: U.S. and Panama Finalize Tax Information Exchange Agreement
Iowa Pork Producers Association: Panama Trade Agreement Ready for Congress
Quad-City Times: Trade Agreements Would Boost Iowa

On April 18, 2011, Panama successfully alleviated United States’ concerns about completing a new free trade agreement between the two countries. Primarily, Panama’s full ratification of the Tax Information Exchange Agreement allowed the Office of the United States Trade Representative to generate a trade agreement that can be presented to Capitol Hill for ratification. Panama’s signing of the Tax Information Exchange Agreement basically assured the United States government that there would be transparency in the tax information they exchange and that the United States would be able to enforce their tax laws, especially with respect to bank accounts in Panama. Further Panama has also taken measures to assure the United States of its increased commitment to strengthening its labor laws and enforcement. All of these actions clear the way for Congress to seriously begin drafting and ultimately implementing a new trade agreement with Panama.

However, despite the readiness of both Panama and the United States to enter into a new trade agreement, the U.S. administration is waiting on two other pending agreements with South Korea and Columbia. Ron Kirk, a United States Trade Representative, explained that while the administration wants the agreements approved, it also wants to consider elements of the Panamanian trade agreement in connection with other possible trade agreements. Specifically the administration is concerned about the possible impact of less expensive imports from these countries and the affect it will have on employees of domestic manufacturers and service firms, who have traditionally lost jobs with the influx of cheap imports. The administration considers this a primary concern under the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which has sought to reemploy workers who have lost their jobs or have suffered decreased wages and hours due to increased imports.

However United States farmers and agricultural and pork producers have pushed for the administration to quickly produce and initiate a trade agreement with Panama and others in order to expand their exporting base. Among the supporters of an expedited trade agreement with Panama are the American Soybean Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council. The support of these organizations makes sense considering the United States exported more than $450 million in agricultural products to Panama in 2010, double the amount it exported in 2005. Additionally, according to some economists the Panama trade agreement will add 20 cents to the price of each hog on the market and expects that pork exports to Panama will increase by about $16 million per year. However the number of jobs created in the pork industry by this agreement, is estimated to be only 200.
Whether the increased exporting profits made from the Panama Trade agreement will be able to compensate for possible job losses due to increased cheap imports, is a heavy concern for the administration, and one they have determined requires careful and slow consideration. However, as the U.S. administration halts on implementing a trade agreement with Panama, Panama has already entered into several other trade agreements with Chile, Singapore and Taiwan. The fear among supporters of an expedited trade agreement between the U.S. and Panama is that by the time the U.S. decides to enter into an agreement with Panama, other exporters will have a competitive advantage over U.S. firms.