U.S. Probes India’s Trade Policies

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) says it has begun examining India’s policies that affect U.S. exports and investment opportunities. The probe was requested last month by a bipartisan group of lawmakers who charge that India has adopted a series of measures that discriminate against U.S. businesses for the sake of boosting its domestic industries. Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee contend that India has established a complex schedule of tariffs and fees and an overly burdensome customs system. In addition, India “has applied its patent law in a discriminatory manner, particularly against innovative U.S. pharmaceutical companies,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to ITC requesting the probe. The Indian government has denied allegations that it does not provide a level playing field for U.S. businesses. ITC says it will “enumerate restrictive trade and investment policies that India maintains or has recently adopted” and determine which sectors of the U.S. economy are most affected. The agency plans to report its findings to Congress by the end of November 2014.