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finance | banking | taxes

Thai-US FTA talks: Deadlock looks set to be broken
5-Jan-2006 The Nation
Thai finance officials will for the first time make an offer to open up the country’s financial services, which should make or break the proposed Thai-US free-trade agreement (FTA) during talks next week, says a Thai finance source.
Vaile to fight US on sugar
5-Jan-2006 The Australian
Australia will urge the US to prise open its lucrative sugar markets as part of a fresh push to improve access for farmers under the free trade deal. The Howard Government’s renewed attempt to secure a better deal from the free trade agreement came as Acting Prime Minister Mark Vaile defended lopsided results from the first year of the pact.
Denounce chaos in prices
4-Jan-2006 Dominican Today
National Merchants and Entrepreneurs Federation president Antonio Cruz assured today that there is generalized disarray throughout the Dominican Republic with initial implementation of the tax reform, and requested the government to reconsider enforcing it as of next July when CAFTA comes into effect.
Customs Department tax targets expected to drop in 2006
26-Dec-2005 MCOT
The Customs Department’s tax targets are expected to fall next year, due to Free Trade Area dealings between Thailand and a number of foreign countries.
Thai-US free trade talks stuck on finance sector
23-Nov-2005 Bangkok Post
The latest round of bilateral free trade negotiations between Thailand and the United States in London hit a serious snag over how much to liberalise the sensitive finance sector, one of the negotiators said.
FTA negotiators fear financial sector liberalisation could trigger capital outflow
25-Oct-2005 MCOT
Dr. Narongchai Akraseranee, chairman of the Working Group on FTA Negotiations, reaffirms that Thailand will not speed up the opening of its financial sector because domestic players are not ready for such competition. The Working Group is also concerned about possible capital outflows once liberalisation frees up deposit transactions.
Snag hit on services: Bilateral FTA talks now at halfway point
24-Oct-2005 Bangkok Post
Thailand is unlikely to gain much benefit from service sector liberalisation in a free trade area (FTA) agreement with the United States, a Thai trade negotiator says as the talks reach their halfway point.
BOK head calls for FTAs in N-E Asia
18-Oct-2005 Korea Times
The nation’s top central banker Monday stressed the need for speeding up the formation of free trade agreements (FTAs) among Korea, China and Japan, to boost regional cooperation and mutual investment.
Finance liberalisation: Cabinet baulks on alien law changes
18-Oct-2005 The Nation
Thai Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said yesterday that proposed amendments to the Alien Business Act would not be presented to the Cabinet today, apparently because of growing public resentment about further opening up the country to foreign investors.
’Negative list’ approach seen for US talks
13-Oct-2005 Bangkok Post
Thai negotiators could ultimately be forced to accept a "negative list" approach in negotiating the Thailand-US free trade area agreement, according to Pongpanu Svetarunvra, deputy director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office. Under a negative list approach, all sectors and services will be liberalised except for those explicitly stated in the agreement.
Financial institutions urged to resist seizure by foreign investors
30-Sep-2005 MCOT
Local financial institutions need to adjust themselves to resist possible business seizure by foreign investors in a wake of the liberalization of trade with many countries in the world, according to a top banker.
The importance of the FTA to Thailand
30-Sep-2005 American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand
Ambassador Nitya Pibulsonggram, the chief negotiator for the Thailand-US Free Trade Agreement, spoke to AMCHAM members on May 25, 2005 about the importance of the FTA to Thailand.
Proposed RP-US FTA may center on telecom and financial sectors
29-Sep-2005 PIDS
In a recent round table discussion sponsored by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the service industries - specifically the telecommunication and the finance sectors - were tackled as two of the crucial areas where the Philippines can have the best potential if the FTA agreement with the US pushes through.
Colombia: US-Andean free trade talks could wrap up by Nov
24-Sep-2005 DowJones News
Colombia’s government on Friday praised the latest round of talks on establishing a free trade area that would also include the US, Ecuador and Peru, saying a final deal could be reached by November.
Not all share PM’s wish for fast FTA
22-Sep-2005 The Nation
Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya said yesterday that the Thai-US free-trade agreement (FTA) would be difficult to hurry as Thai bankers are concerned about competing with their sophisticated counterparts in the field of e-banking. “I can’t say when the deal could be concluded because both sides still use absolutely different approaches,” Thanong said.
GCC banking sector liberalisation: FTA impact
9-Aug-2005 Khaleej Times
Recently, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) negotiations are being held between the GCC countries and the USA. Being crucial sectors in these countries’ economies, the banking and financial sectors are being considered for liberalisation in the context of these FTAs.