WORLD TRADE G/IT/1/Rev.5
21April 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-1587)
Committee ofParticipants ontheExpansion ofTrade
inInformation Technology Products
STATUS OFIMPLEMENTATION
Note bytheSecretariat
Revision
1. Asof10March 1998, theITAhad28participants (covering 43Members andStates orseparate
customs territories intheprocess ofacceding totheWTO) representing approximately 93percent of
world trade ininformation technology products. Outofthese 28,theformal rectification and
modification documents ofthefollowing 26participants havebeenreceived andcirculated:
Australia Indonesia Poland1
Canada Israel Romania2
Costa Rica Japan Singapore
Czech Republic1Korea Slovak Republic1
ElSalvador Macau Switzerland2
European Communities Malaysia1Thailand1
Hong Kong, China NewZealand Turkey
Iceland Norway United States
India Philippines
Oftheabove, ElSalvador, Philippines, Poland, haveindicated thatimplementation would begin
afterthecompletion ofdomestic procedural requirements.3
2. Allparticipants thatarecurrently Members oftheWTO havesubmitted theirschedules for
rectification andmodification pursuant totheDecision of26March 1980onProcedures forModification
andRectification ofSchedules ofTariff Concessions (BISD 27S/25). Estonia andtheSeparate Customs
Territory ofTaiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, andMatsu arenotcurrently Members oftheWTO andare
therefore notexpected tosubmit documentation forrectification ormodification ofschedules.4
1First ratereduction occurred on1January 1998.
2First ratereduction occurred on31December 1997.
3India, Israel, Switzerland, andTurkey which hadalsomade suchanotification, havesubsequently notified thatthese
procedural requirements have been completed.
4Forthose participants thatarenotMembers oftheWTO, theDeclaration states that: "Each participant thatisnota
Member oftheWTO shallimplement these measures onanautonomous basis, pending completion ofitsWTO accession,
andshall incorporate these measures intoitsWTO market access schedule forgoods."
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Page2
3. Letters ofacceptance, inaccordance withtheprovision ofparagraph 10oftheAnnex tothe
Declaration onTrade inInformation Technology Products, havebeenreceived fromallparticipants.
4. Thefollowing documentation, noted asbeing submitted under item1above, hasbeenformally
certified bytheDirector-General:
Australia; Canada; Costa Rica; Czech Republic; European Communities; Hong Kong, China;
Iceland; India; Indonesia; Israel; Japan; Korea; Macau; Malaysia; Norway; Singapore; Slovak
Republic; Switzerland; Thailand; Turkey; United States.
Byvirtue ofthecertification, these schedules havebeenderestricted andplaced ontheWTO
website. Inaddition, theschedule ofNewZealand hasbeenderestricted through authorization and
placed onthewebsite.
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