---
title: "ITIF Commends Breakthrough in WTO ITA Negotiations"
date: "2015-07-20"
issues: ["Trade"]
content_type: "Press Releases"
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2015/07/20/itif-commends-breakthrough-wto-ita-negotiations/"
---

# ITIF Commends Breakthrough in WTO ITA Negotiations

WASHINGTON—Stephen Ezell, vice president for global innovation policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), released the following statement on the breakthrough in negotiations over the expansion of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA):

*We commend this weekend’s breakthrough on updating the ITA because it means we are one step closer to eliminating tariffs on hundreds of information and communications technology products that are emblematic of the 21st century economy. The new ITA will help lower costs and facilitate increased adoption and use of countless ICT products and services. That will drive more innovation and productivity in the global economy.*

*The ITA has been one of the most commercially successful trade agreements in history. The original agreement helped to boost annual worldwide ICT trade from $1.2 trillion in 1996, when the agreement took effect, to more than $5 trillion today. Yet while the technology we use every day has evolved significantly since 1996, the products covered under the ITA have not. It is critical that we update the agreement to include innovations ranging from GPS systems to ICT-enabled home-monitoring and medical devices to next-generation semiconductors.*

*Updating the ITA will not only lower prices and help boost exports, but also facilitate greater diffusion and adoption of ICT worldwide. When we have more ICT use, we get more productivity and economic growth across the global economy—a win for all participants. We urge all parties to approve this deal without delay.*

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*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/publications/2015/07/20/itif-commends-breakthrough-wto-ita-negotiations/*