Aaron Lowe, senior vice president, government and regulatory affairs, Auto Care Association, testified before the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in support of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in Washington, D.C.

“A regional agreement with our neighbors and two of our largest trading partners benefits our membership and the U.S. economy,” said Lowe. “While NAFTA may have been ‘state of the art’ when it was negotiated in the early 1990s, it is now nearly 25 years old and could benefit from the modernization effort the administration has initiated.”

The Auto Care Association said it supports inclusion of e-commerce provisions and efforts to streamline and modernize customs procedures.

Lowe’s testimony included the following statements:

“NAFTA’s elimination of tariffs, foreign investment protections and opening of the services markets have facilitated the integration of regional supply and value chains. Simply put, NAFTA established rules that promote consistency and predictability for U.S. manufacturers, retailers, distributors and service providers.”

“NAFTA eliminates this disparity because imports are duty-free in all three countries, which promotes integrated supply chains, cost efficiencies and more options for U.S. purchasers and consumers. It also contains provisions that protect U.S. service providers and intellectual property rights that are important to our members.”