A 2015 study found that Mexico`s welfare increased by 1.31 percent due to NAFTA tariff cuts and Mexico`s intra-bloc trade increased by 118 percent. [63] Inequality and poverty have decreased in the regions of Mexico most affected by globalization. [75] Studies from 2013 and 2015 showed that Mexican smallholder farmers benefited more from NAFTA than large farmers. [76] [77] In 2008, Republican candidate Ron Paul said he would abolish the trade deal. He said it would create a « highway » and compared it to the European Union, even though NAFTA does not apply a single currency among its signatories. The free trade agreement was concluded in 1988 and NAFTA essentially extended the provisions of this agreement to Mexico. NAFTA has been approved by U.S. governments. George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the President of Mexico. Carlos Salinas de Gortari negotiated. A provisional agreement on the Pact was reached in August 1992 and signed by the three Heads of State or Government on 17 December.
NAFTA was ratified by the national legislators of the three countries in 1993 and entered into force on January 1, 1994. In its May 24, 2017 report, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) wrote that the economic impact of NAFTA on the U.S. economy was modest. In a 2015 report, the Congressional Research Service summarized several studies as follows: « In reality, NAFTA did not cause the huge job losses feared by critics or the great economic gains predicted by supporters. The overall net impact of NAFTA on the U.S. economy appears to have been relatively modest, largely because trade with Canada and Mexico accounts for only a small percentage of U.S. GDP. However, there have been adjustment costs for workers and businesses as the three countries have adapted to more open trade and investment between their economies. [93]:2 The goal of the North American Free Trade Agreement is to reduce trade costs, increase business investment, and help North America be more competitive in the global marketplace.
Key NAFTA provisions provided for the gradual dismantling of tariffs, tariffs and other barriers to trade between the three members, with some tariffs being lifted immediately and others over up to 15 years. The agreement ultimately ensured duty-free access to a wide range of industrial products and goods traded between the signatories. Domestic commodity status has been granted to products imported from other NAFTA countries, prohibiting any state, local or provincial government from imposing taxes or duties on such goods […].
