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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI URGES TARIFF CUTS ON PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT

WASHINGTON (October 18, 2005) - The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) was among key manufacturing trade associations from the United States, Europe and Korea pressing for broad tariff reductions at the Geneva headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) this month.

Karen Toliver, SPI's senior director for international trade and industry statistics, joined her counterparts from the National Association of Manufacturers and other international industry groups for a Global Manufacturers Fly-in at WTO headquarters, October 5-6, where the industry groups highlighted their priorities ahead of the WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December.

Toliver met with trade ministers from Brazil, India, China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Jamaica and Mexico, as well as with Stephan Jóhannesson, Chair of the Non-Agricultural Market Access Committee of the WTO.

"We reiterated the importance of tariff cuts and elimination of non-tariff barriers on industrial goods," said Toliver. "We also urged the trade ministers to engage in the ongoing sectoral initiatives, which seek to harmonize tariffs on particular product categories.

"We've targeted plastics machinery and equipment as a discrete category of goods where harmonized tariffs would benefit both large and smaller economies.

"For SPI members, substantial cuts in tariffs imposed on plastics industry goods as well as harmonized tariffs on certain machinery and equipment are key goals that will enhance worldwide market access for U.S. plastics companies. SPI will remain actively engaged to obtain these results for our members."

In a statement signed by NAM and its Canadian, Korean and European counterparts and released following the conference, the delegation stressed that the Doha Round "must achieve significant gains in real market access for manufactured goods services, trade facilitation and advancement of other aspects of the negotiations, including rules." The statement is available online at http://www.nam.org/s_nam/bin.asp?CID=484&DID=235341&DOC=FILE.PDF.

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.4 million workers and provides nearly $310 billion in annual shipments. For more information, visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org.

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