WASHINGTON – The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the global voice of the tech sector, welcomes the release of a long-awaited report today by the U.S. International Trade Commission detailing the economic benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The report marks an important step in the U.S. ratification process for the TPP, and ITI encourages U.S. lawmakers to use the report as a key source of information and analysis in their upcoming debate on the trade agreement. ITI was one of the first major tech trade groups to endorse the TPP following a careful review after the trade agreement text was made public in December 2015.

“Instead of charged election year rhetoric, we need a serious debate about how the U.S. can lead on global trade around the world,” said ITI Vice President for Government Affairs Vince Jesaitis. “When it comes to the question of whether a trade deal is good for America’s future, this report and others demonstrate that expanding trade opportunities through TPP is the surest path to create new jobs and grow our economy.”

ITI will continue to review the report closely, but after an initial analysis, says it clearly demonstrates that U.S. consumers and businesses stand to benefit from the elimination of tariffs (i.e. taxes) on information technology products. Additionally, ITI reiterated its strong belief the TPP Agreement will help keep the Internet free and open by ensuring that data flows unimpeded across national borders, which creates the best possible conditions for innovation, job creation, and greater economic growth in today’s global, digital economy.

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