"Collapse" at Immigration offices

Long lines are filmed by the TVN News crew at Immigration, with 20 days to go until the entry in force of the new Immigration law. Applicants waited from 5AM until 1PM under 90 degree temperatures to file their paperwork.

This lady complained that "peddling of influences" occurs in the granting of numbers for applicants to be served at Immigration. Only 40 applicants are served for some of the procedures.

Video in http://lawyerfuture.blogspot.com/2001/01/collapse-at-immigration-offices-videos.html

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Revulú en Migración 08/06/2008

Castalia Pascual

A mediados de este mes de agosto entrará en vigencia la nueva ley de migracion. . esto ha ocasionado que el numero de tramites se triplique provocando largas filas en la Direccion de Migracion que con el tiempo se han quedado chicas. Ver Video

Bar Association announces malpractice cases

The Honor Tribunal of the Panama Bar Association published an ad serving several lawyers about the malpractice cases against them. Service had to be made through a newspaper because the lawyers could not be located or refused to be served in person.

The Bar Association website a list of attorneys found by the Honor Tribunal as guilty of ethics violations and recommended for their disbarment or suspension by the Supreme Court, as well as a list of attorneys in good standing with bar dues.

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Edictos de la Gaceta Oficial No. 25962
Gaceta No. 25962 lunes, 21 de enero de 2008

TRIBUNAL DE HONOR
COLEGIO NACIONAL DE ABOGADOS
Edicto Emplazatorio No.02- 24-10-2007

El Tribunal de Honor del Colegio Nacional de Abogados, ordena la notificación por edicto de los siguientes abogados denunciados por supuestas faltas a la ética, los cuales no le ha podido surtir la notificación personalmente:

MANUEL E. CAJAR, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JOSE ANTONIO ALVAREZ

GASTON GARRIDO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CARLOS MARIO ZAPATA AREIZA

CARLOS ARTURO DE LA ROSA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ALVARO GOMEZ GOMEZ

CESAR GUARDIA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MIRANY DE RAMIREZ

LEONEL URRIOLA CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: HERMELINDA VALDES.

LUIS DE LEON ARIAS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CELMA MONCADA DE GUERRA

JOSE ANTONIO MONCADA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADO POR: SILVYA TAM DE LOWE

LOURDES RÍOS DE VALLARINO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: LOURDES CASTILLO R.

MANUEL E. CAJAR, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDITH MARIELA JIMENEZ

LUIS STAMP K, DENUNCIA PRESENTADO POR: ELISEO ALVAREZ

GILBERTO TORREROS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: FELIPE FERNANDEZ

ALEJANDRO WATSON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: TOMAS RAFAEL DURFEE

PEDRO MORENO GONZALEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: VIOLETA SOTO

DARIO MONTERO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ALEJANDRO CALVO

AMEGLIO MONCADA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RODRIGO VELARDE

HUMBERTO MOSQUERA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: VIRGILIO QUIÑONES Y OTRO

NITIDO SOSA LÓPEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ROGELIO VERGARA

PEDRO MORENO GONZALEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUAN LOBON

BENJAMIN ARIAS GORDON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ELBA C. SANCHEZ

MIGUEL WATTS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: OMAR ENRIQUE WEVER

GUILLERMO SERRANO F., DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MANUEL RÍOS G. Y OTRO

RAFAEL SANTAMARÍA DENUNCIA PPRESENTADA POR LEONIDAS DE GONZALEZ

MIGUEL WATTS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: OMAR ENRIQUE WEVER

MANUEL DE J. BECERRA Q., DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ARISTIDES HASSAN POLO

VELVIT SALMON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MARTA E. MORENO DE PINEDA

JUAN ANTONIO MORALES, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: REYES SALDAÑA CASTILLO

HECTOR LOPEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: FELIX HUMBERTO ANTINORI

RAUL OSSA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDILBERTO KOOCSSY

JORGE ALBERTO CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDUARDO ENRIQUE MARTINEZ

EVA LORENTZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: LAUREANO ORREGO

CRISTOBAL DELGADO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: AUGUSTO ROGELIO DELGADO

HUMBERTO MOSQUERA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: INOCENCIO ORTIZ

ARMANDO RAMOS RODRIGUEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EFREN BARRIOS

AGUSTIN BURKE, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: GILBERTO ALEJANDRO ROBINSON

JORGE ALBERTO CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JOSE MAURICIO ACEVEDO MARIN

VICTOR SAMANIEGO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ANTONINA BALLESTEROS

JUAN ALVEO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUAN ELIAS GONZALEZ PEREZ

HELBERT PEREA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUANA SANCHEZ DE SINGH

OSCAR AMADO HERNANDEZ CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RUBEN DARIO JIMENEZ

FELIPE GONZALEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CARLOS BONILLA LARA

ROBERTO JOHNSON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RAFAELA ALMONTE

MARCIAL CUADRA FEDEE, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDUARDO ENRIQUES NAVARRO

ABDULKHABEER MUHAMMED, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: VERNA BECKFORD

HUMBERTO MOSQUERA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: HECTOR BETHANCOURT

ABNER ALVAREZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUSTO PASTOR BUSTAMANTE

SAMUEL MARIN, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ISAAC JHACOB DE GRACIA AYALA

EVA ARGENTINA LORENTZ FRANCO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: OCTAVIO CAMILO BARUCO

NODIER SANTIAGO QUINTERO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JULISSA SATILLO ADAMES

JORGE SERRACIN, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MARLEN MENDOZA DETHORNE

PABLO DIAZ y JORGE MASTROLINARDO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: NELSON ESQUIVEL PERALTA

DANIEL HENDERSON MORA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MANUEL REBERTE

UBALDO IVAN SAMANIEGO DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RICARDO LEMUS CALDERON

XIOMARA VALLARINO y ABDIEL ARTEAGA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ANDREW WATSON MC CARTHY

LUIS DE LEON ARIAS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CELMA MONCADA

JOSE LUIS GARCÍA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EMMA GONZALEZ

ROBERTO JOHONSON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: DENNIS E. BRAY

DILIA ESTELA CORNEJO MENESES PRESENTADA POR: EDWIN APARICIO

LUIS ALFONSO PALACIOS PRESENTADA POR: DORIS SORIANO DE PINILLA

Copia de este edicto será fijado de manera visible en el Colegio Nacional de Abogados y publicado por una sola vez en la gaceta oficial.

Se advierte a los abogados denunciados, que de conformidad con el artículo 16F del Reglamento Interno del Tribunal de Honor, la notificación se entenderá hecha transcurridos 30 días de la publicación en gaceta oficial del presente edicto.

TRIBUNAL DE HONOR

Lic. Miguel Antonio Bernal
Presidente

Lic. Antonio Loaiza Batista
Secretario

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More information in
Bar Association continues prosecution of malpractice cases

30-day countdown to new Immigration law requirements

In case you are still thinking about which visa to apply for, the Panama Immigration Spanish version has a handy reminder that "Effective August 26, 2008, [Law] Decree 6 of February 22, 2008, will be in force". The English version has not been updated since early 2007.

This means that in 30 days minimum investment and solvency requirements are likely to have been doubled and several visa categories (including the Rentista second passport) will have been eliminated.

* They forgot to word "Law"

More about the new Panama Immigration Law in:
Immigration and Visas
Regulations for Immigration Law are being drafted
2008 Immigration Law finally published
New draft Panama Immigration Law slows down.

Levin - Obama Bill seeks to end confidentiality of US corporations

Panama attorneys are required by Panama "know-your-customer" laws to keep confidential files on who are the beneficiaries of the corporations, private foundations and trusts for which they provide resident agent services. However, the information can only be released to Panama prosecutors when a criminal investigation is conducted by the authorities or when assisting foreign authorities in non-civil cases.

When said KYC laws were enacted back in 1994, Panama attorneys warned the authorities that the bad guys would only head for Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming, where incorporators sell corporations online in 24 hours to anybody with a number from a stolen credit card and a mail drop to receive the corporate papers. In the end it was good for the Panama incorporation business because it served to weed out bad clients and improve the financial center.

13 years later, Senator Levin proved right this prediction by sentencing that "criminals are hiding behind U.S. corporations while committing all sorts of crimes -- from terrorism to money laundering, fraud and tax evasion."

Senators Obama, Levin and others have sponsored the "Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act" which is not making Resident Agents in the US very happy. The bill would be the equivalent of submitting shareholder records of privately-held corporations to the Public Registry.

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Transparency bill draws mixed reactions

Group official says measure to have secretaries of state keep records of businessowners' identities impedes business

By JOHN G. EDWARDS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

A spokesman for Nevada registered agents, who make their living filing incorporation papers for businesses, says a bill that would require states to keep corporate ownership records is the worst legislation imaginable.

But other state officials reacted differently to the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act, which Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., introduced Thursday.

...

The bill would require secretaries of state to maintain records of the identities of owners of private corporations and limited liability companies. Although states could keep the owners' names confidential from the public, state officials would be required to provide the records in response to a law enforcement agency's subpoena or summons.

"Criminals are hiding behind U.S. corporations while committing all sorts of crimes -- from terrorism to money laundering, fraud and tax evasion," Levin said. "The bill we are introducing today will strike a blow against corporate secrecy, strengthen law enforcement, and curb the misuse of U.S. corporations."

Levin is chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee for Investigations, which in November 2006 challenged officials of Nevada and Delaware about laws that allow corporate owners to hide their identities.

Critics of the bill call the measure unnecessary government intrusion into the investments of businesspeople who are legitimate.

"This is a huge impediment to new business," Derek Rowley, president of the Nevada Registered Agent Association, said in an e-mail. "In our current economic times, I can't imagine a worse idea."

....

Rowley lambasted the bill.

"It surprises me that Senator Levin is introducing this bill at this time, given the fact that the National Association of Secretaries of State has adopted a series of recommendations that we feel offer a very reasonable solution if they were instituted consistently in all the states," Rowley said in an e-mail. "Senator Levin is introducing this bill as though the states have been completely unresponsive, and that simply isn't the case."

The registered agent association worked with the Nevada secretary of state's office to help lawmakers adopt legislation for dealing with the same issue, he said.

The new Nevada law provides that law enforcement can request ownership records from corporations and LLCs. If the company fails to respond, the secretary of state can dissolve the corporation.

Rowley thinks the federal bill goes too far.

"(The Levin bill) mandates the disclosure of 'beneficial ownership' of all corporations and LLCs in the U.S.," he said, "a feat that is technically impossible."

Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0420.

Full text in http://www.lvrj.com/business/18544189.html

Full text of Bill http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.2956:

Obama Joins Levin and Coleman to Introduce Bill to Stop Misuse of U.S. Companies http://obama.senate.gov/press/080501-obama_joins_lev/

Summary of Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=297089

UCLA Prof says bill "burdens states and legitimate businesses" http://www.businessassociationsblog.com/lawandbusiness/comments/the_incorporation_transparency_and_law_enforcement_assistance_act/

Vote for/against the bill http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_SN_2956.html

Panama Online Gambling Regulation

After being shut out of the U.S. market last year with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), companies such as UK's Partygaming (PRTY.L) and Austria's Bwin (BWIN.BE) continue operating legally, even getting funds from investors in the London Stock Exchange and looking forward to customers in emerging markets of China and India. Representatives Barney Frank and Ron Paul introduced H.R.5767 which would stop its implementation but approval will not discourage others doing business outside of the U.S.

The Inter-American Trade Report, October 2003, has a short summary of the regulation for online games in Panama.

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PANAMA: Online Gambling Regulation

Panama regulated online gambling operations this past February via Resolution 065 of the Games Control Board (Junta de Control de Juegos). Although under the Constitution gambling is a state monopoly, local jurisprudence has upheld the power of the State to grant concessions to operate said activities on its behalf to private companies. Online casinos would be exempt from Panama income taxes, since Panama taxes only local-source income and the Regulation allows online transactions only with users from outside of Panama.

Online gambling operations must prove economic solvency and previous related experience, and upon granting of the license must pay a US$10,000 fee and a yearly US$20,000 license.

Operators must comply with money-laundering regulations and notify the Financial Analysis Unit of any suspicious transactions above US$10,000. An account must be maintained to guarantee payment to winners. Infringements are subject to a fine ranging from US$1,000 to US$50,000.

By Alvaro Aguilar
Gaceta Oficial, Feb. 3, 2003
http://www.natlaw.com/panama/topical/ec/ecomm.htm

Keywords: online gaming, casino, gambling

Getting a Job in Panama as a Foreigner

This is a frequent question I get. If you google getting a job in Panama, you will read that for foreigners without a work permit finding a job has to do with personal contact as much as (or more than) having a US degree.

Panama is a great place to be an entrepreneur if your clients are located worldwide - not as good place to be an employee of a Panama company. If you think about being a "salaryman" in Panama, the call center at Dell always needs young insomniacs at US$600/month.

Most companies feel that US or European workers will come with expectations of a stateside salary which will create jealousies from local staff which performs the same work. Branches of US multinationals are usually manned by an expat send from headquarters who does not want another English-speaking stateside young mind to steal away his thunder. Many Panama companies are privately-held and prefer to hire an incompetent relative over a smart finance wiz from Wharton. UN, STRI, embassies and other international organizations or NGOs usually tailor their hiring ads in order to favor a friend they want to hire ("International Relations graduate with 13.5 years of experience with a government organization and 3.25 years working in a European country").

Foreign professionals will find that Panama-owned companies are unwilling to go through the work permit hassle unless they feel they really need somebody (MBA in finance, bilingual accounting and occasionally marketing) or are really needed because of a short supply (all Civil Engineering and Port-related degrees - and now even Geology experts). By law, companies cannot hire more than 10% of their staff as foreigners so they think twice about their hiring.

Needless to say, fluency in Spanish is helpful, a work permit is crucial. Thinking about moving to Panama with a family and then finding a job - as some have suggested by email - is not prudent. Things to do which are not guaranteed to get a foreigner a job but certainly do not hurt:

- Send resumes in SPANISH and English to Panama alumni. Your college's alumni office should have their addresses. Pay a Spanish translator to proofread the Spanish version. Most Panamanian alumni may have aced their written exams in the US but are more comfortable with a resume in Spanish.

- List your resume with Panama headhunters registered in http://www.panamcham.com/business_center/business_directory.asp?cat=H14 and Panama websites like www.mastrabajo.com Specify that you are willing to pay all expenses of your relocation, work permit and visa.

- Read the 2 leading business weeklies in Panama: http://www.martesfinanciero.com and http://panama.capitalfinanciero.com Not only do they give you most of the hard realities on Panama business, the new, progressive companies and they also have job surveys every so often.

- If you can afford it, enroll in a good Panama MBA program http://www.latintrade.com/resources/MBA%20Ratings%20Oct07%20eng2.pdf . Locals who are currently working with Panama companies attend there. Even better, enroll with Thunderbird or another school popular with Latin execs to start a networking process BEFORE relocating.

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Back when Latpro was just a free conference list and before they started charging for their website services, its founder Eric Shannon circulated a very revealing email about how HR people at multinationals think, when going abroad:

Subject: Managing Your International Career Forum Synopsis
Date: Thu,16 Oct 1997 08:31:49-0400
From: Eric Shannon eshan@one.net
To: “Latco list(E-mail)”latco@psg.com

This email contains a synopsis of “Managing Your International Career” a forum held September 22, 1997 by the Global Business Association of New York City.

Best Regards,

Eric Shannon
Latin America’s Professional Network (LATPRO)
For more information about LATPRO, send a blank email to index@mailer.mindexchange.com or visit our web site: http://www.latpro.com

KF = Korn Ferry
CX = CONEX / Intersearch
WMB = West Merchant Bank

WHAT IS THE TYPICAL PROFILE OF THE CANDIDATE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN LATIN AMERICAN?

Both KF and CX are “agressively seeking” Spanish speaking candidates. In the last six months CX finds Information Technology to be the hottest market. KF agrees but says recruitment for these positions is a “local issue”. KF says Mexico is a “hot market”, Venezuela is coming back nicely, Brazil office is expanding rapidly while Argentina is flat. The major drivers are multinationals and some large indigenous family conglomerates.

WMB emphasizes that they are mostly sending infrastructure people to Latin America – technology and intranet specialists.

All the panellist agreed that they prefer to hire foreign nationals (locals) over US citizens for foreign assignments. They emphasized several times that the corporation will always choose the fastest, most efficient, cheapest alternative. A foreign national with a “western education” is always their first choice.

WMB- Doesn’t like to hire US citizens in foreign countries because in this situation they are paid as locals and find themselves sitting next to another American from headquarters who makes more money.
Goldman Sachs VP disagreed, has no problems making these hires.

The panellists report that Americans with foreign MBA’s are not at a disadvantage with their US educated counterparts and they also view the executive MBA no differently than the full time MBA.

When they do send US citizens on foreign assignments they look for mentor / teacher types who can more easily train locals to replace themselves

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET A FOREIGN ASSIGMENT?

CX remarks that a good way to get an international assignment is to attend an international MBA program such as Thunderbird’s, MIBS, or pepperdidine’s. Recruiters tend to gravitate to their alumni networks particularly the more organized ones. WMB agrees; “strong alumni networks play a key role in our recruiting”.

KF says the best way to get overseas is to go to work for a company with revenues of 10 billion or more in a domestic assignment and lobby persistently for an expatriate assignment. WMB agrees and mentions that they generally don’t send anyone overseas who doesn’t have several years experience with the company.

KF- Be careful picking your international assignment as the general manager of operations in a small country, you may be forgotten- “Vince Who???” Have an exit strategy or end up in a job you had ten years ago when you get back. Try to negotiate your next job when they promote you. Even if you do this, the person you negotiated your career path with may have been axed when you get back!

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT A CANDIDATE WHO HAS SPENT SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR TRAVELING THE WORLD?

AM- I like it, sometimes companies are looking for that types of person. My boss however would say he doesn’t like it. Companies look heavily at the chronology of your resume.

KF- This is a very serious issue with a man – if his career is substantive or if he has been job seeking, it isn’t so bad. Unemployment or consulting gaps are OK but travelling is a serious question mark for me.

WMB – If you haven’t been laid off in financial services you lack experience.

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT A CANDIDATE WITH OVERSEAS GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE BUT NO CORPORATE EXPERIENCE?

AM – If the person has the skills the client is looking for and there is chemistry between the candidate and the client and the company is flexible – no problem. The search is always steered by what the client says.

KF – this person should look into opportunities with the consulting companies.

U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement - New York Farmers Will Benefit

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FACT SHEET:
U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement - New York Farmers Will Benefit

November 2007

Printer Friendly Version

The U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement eliminates tariffs and other barriers on most U.S. goods, increasing export opportunities for agricultural products important to New York. With immediate elimination of duties on over 60 percent of current U.S. trade, this agreement changes the one-way street of duty-free access currently enjoyed by most Panamanian exports into a two-way street benefiting both countries. The American Farm Bureau strongly supports the agreement, predicting widespread gains for U.S. agriculture exceeding $190 million per year.

New York's exports to all countries, estimated at $671 million in 2006, supported about 7,900 jobs, on and off the farm. These export sales make an important contribution to the New York farm economy which had total cash receipts of $3.5 billion in 2006.

Dairy. The dairy industry accounted for 46 percent of the state's farm cash receipts with earnings of $1.6 billion in 2006. New York is the nation's third largest exporter of dairy products. Dairy farmers will benefit from the Panama agreement.

U.S. exporters will have immediate duty-free access to nine preferential dairy tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) with a combined total of 3,986 tons. These include 2,625 tons of skim milk powder, 728 tons of cheese, 263 tons of ice cream, and 370 tons of other dairy products. These quantities will grow by 4 or 5 percent each year and the over-quota tariffs for these TRQs, which range from 15 percent for ice cream to 50 percent for milk powders, will be phased out in 15 to 17 years.

U.S. dairy exporters will continue to have access to the global TRQs for 3,830 tons of milk powder and 3,782 tons of cheese that are part of Panama's World Trade Organization commitments.

Panama will eliminate its 30-percent tariff on dried whey products immediately. The tariffs on most other dairy products, which currently face duties as high as 140 percent, will be phased out over 15 years.

In addition, Panama has already implemented our December 2006 bilateral agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical standards by recognizing the equivalence of the U.S. food safety systems for processed foods, including dairy products, and by streamlining its product registration system for packaged foods. This will allow U.S. food processors to export dairy products to Panama without burdensome paper work and without having each facility and shipment inspected by Panamanian authorities.

The National Milk Producers Association supports the Agreement, noting that "Panama imports nearly half its dairy products, and the U.S. stands to become a larger supplier once the FTA is finalized."

Fruits. The fresh and processed fruit industry is important to the state. Apple growers along earn $204 million a year. New York's apple producers will benefit from this agreement.

Panama will eliminate its tariffs on nearly all fresh and processed fruits immediately.

Following are examples of fruit products of importance for New York that will be duty-free immediately (the currently applied tariff is indicated in parentheses): apples (2 percent), concentrated apple juice (Free), and concentrated grape juice (15 percent).

Panama will phase out its 15-percent tariffs on single-strength apple and grape juices in 12 and 15 years, respectively.

Beef. New York's cattle and calf industry is the state's fourth largest source of farm cash receipts with sales of $157 million in 2006. The industry will benefit from the Panama FTA.

Panama will immediately eliminate its 30-percent duty on beef products of most importance to the U.S. beef industry--prime and choice cuts. Panama's tariffs on other cuts of beef will be phased out over 15 years.

The 10-percent tariff on beef tongues and livers will be eliminated in 5 years, and the 15-percent tariffs on other edible offal will be eliminated immediately.

Panama has already implemented our December 2006 bilateral agreement on SPS measures, reopening its market to U.S. beef by bringing its import requirements related to BSE into compliance with international standards.

Panama also accepted the equivalence of the U.S. meat inspection system, which allows U.S. inspectors to certify beef for export to Panama without having each facility and shipment inspected by Panamanian authorities.

Vegetables. New York exported an estimated $67 million in fresh and processed vegetables in 2006. Potato and other vegetable growers will benefit from this agreement.

Panama will eliminate its tariffs on nearly all frozen and processed vegetables immediately. The tariff faced by U.S. exporters for these products currently is 15 percent.

The tariffs for most fresh vegetables will be eliminated in 10-15 years.

Panama will provide immediate duty-free access within a preferential TRQ for frozen precooked French fries that starts at 3,640 tons and grows each year by 4 percent. The 20-percent over-quota tariff will be eliminated in 5 years.

Panama will eliminate its 15-percent tariff on potato chips immediately and the tariffs on potato flakes (15 percent) and other potato preparations (as high as 54 percent) will be phased out in 5 to 10 years. Panama will also establish a 765-ton duty-free preferential TRQ for fresh potatoes that will grow each year by 2 percent.

Panama will eliminate its 15 percent tariffs on frozen and canned sweet corn immediately.

Wines. As a leading U.S. producer and exporter of wines, New York wine producers will benefit from this agreement.

Panama's tariff on still wine is 15 percent. Under the agreement, the tariff on bottled table wine will be eliminated immediately while tariffs on all other wine categories will be phased out within 5 years.

Back to the U.S.–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement


More information in:
http://www.uspanamatrade.org/ Text of the Agreement and more links
http://www.export.gov/fta/panama/panama_tpa_statedata.asp State Export Data
http://ffas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/Panama/us-PanamaTPAfactsheets.asp Benefits to Agriculture by State

Keywords: Free Trade Agreement, PAFTA, Trade Promotion Agreement