USTR Tells WTO That COOL Damages Are Much Lower Than Estimated

Last week, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) filed a legal brief in the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute over mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL), arguing that the $3 billion sought by Canada and Mexico in retaliatory tariffs are a dramatic overestimation of damages. The U.S. requested that the WTO Arbitrator reject the amounts requested by Canada and Mexico and set them at no more than $43.22 million and $47.55 million, respectively. The document called the economic methodology used by the two countries “flawed” and one that “severely overestimates the level of nullification or impairment attributable” to COOL...more