JP\/16\/Money<\/p>\n
Australia to host trade meeting<\/p>\n
SYDNEY: Australia will host a major meeting of trade ministers
\nin November in a bid to push along the latest round of global
\ntrade negotiations, Trade Minister Mark Vaile announced on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Vaile said about 25 ministers from countries including the
\nUnited States, European Union, Japan and Singapore would attend
\nthe meeting in Sydney on Nov. 14 and 15.<\/p>\n
The gathering will come exactly a year after ministers from
\nthe 144-nation World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Doha to
\nlaunch a new round of negotiations to lower global trade
\nbarriers.<\/p>\n
Vaile said the meeting would be \"critical\" for addressing a
\nnumber of sticky issues that have emerged ahead of the next full
\nmeeting of the Geneva-based WTO in Cancun, Mexico, in September
\n2003. -- AFP<\/p>\n
;Agencies;
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\nMoneyMatter-<\/p>\n
JP\/16\/Money<\/p>\n
Taiwan may waive tax for tourists<\/p>\n
TAIPEI: Taiwan's top economic planning agency has proposed
\nexempting foreign visitors from the five percent sales tax in a
\nbid to boost the tourism industry, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n
The measure proposed by cabinet-level Council for Economic
\nPlanning and Development (CEPD) was aimed at stimulating tourism
\nto meet the government target of doubling the number of tourists
\nto two million a year by 2007, CEPD officials said.<\/p>\n
Taiwan also aims to increase visitor arrivals, which includes
\nbusiness travelers and other non-tourists, to five million in
\n2007 from some 2.6 million expected this year, they said.<\/p>\n
The Tourism Bureau will study options for waiving the sales
\ntax before making recommendations to the cabinet and parliament.<\/p>\n
In the six months to June, visitor arrivals stood at 1.29
\nmillion, down 7.1 percent from the same period last year. Most
\nvisitors were from Japan, the United States, and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Some 35.9 percent of the visitors were tourists. -- AFP<\/p>\n
;Agencies;
\nANPAf..r..
\nMoneyMatter-<\/p>\n
JP\/16\/Money<\/p>\n
Germany's economy grew 0.2% in Q2<\/p>\n
FRANKFURT: Germany's economy grew an estimated 0.2 percent in
\nthe second quarter, the same modest pace as seen in the first
\nquarter, the chief economist of the Bundesbank, the central bank,
\nsaid in an interview published Thursday.<\/p>\n
Hermann Remsperger told the financial daily Boersen-Zeitung:
\n\"Economic activity remained very subdued on the whole in the
\nsecond quarter.<\/p>\n
\"According to our estimates, gross domestic product (GDP) grew
\nat the same moderate pace as seen in the first quarter.\"<\/p>\n
Official second-quarter GDP figures for the 12-state euro
\nzone's biggest economy are scheduled to be published next week.<\/p>\n
Remsperger said that not only was the export-orientated
\neconomy hit by global economic conditions, but strikes in key
\nsectors, such as the electrical, engineering, metalworking and
\nconstruction industries, also reduced output. -- AFP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp16money-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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