HP Policy Priorities in Americas (non-U.S.)

Company information

HP believes innovation increases productivity, which leads to job creation and economic development in Latin America and Canada.  Accordingly, HP supports public policies that maximize the ability of individuals and companies to innovate with a view to benefiting Latin American and Canadian citizens, strengthening the regions’ economies, and helping companies and organizations based in the Americas succeed in the global marketplace. 
 
Innovation/Competitiveness

• Innovation Law:  Mexico: Work toward a comprehensive innovation and science and technology law to foster private sector innovation and R&D. Brazil: Have companies benefiting from IT law included in Innovation Law also.  Improve labor tax and cost-reduction regulations within IT Services Export Platform.  Latin America Region: Enact laws fostering development of IT infrastructure and e-government. Canada: Working with government leaders to develop federal policies that promote ICT investment as a key driver of productivity and competitiveness.
• Copyright levies: Canada: Work to reform the current copyright act, which is hurting consumer and industry alike, by having existing levies removed in new legislation.
• Tax Incentives: Develop favorable R&D, IT manufacturing, and export tax environments in selected countries. Mexico: Ensure that the effectiveness of the R&D Tax Credit is not diminished by the proposed fiscal reform and do not impact HP operations. Brazil: Receive past years’ R&D tax credits, and streamline future processing.
• National Development and IT:  Continue to work with governments to include IT dimensions to all aspects of public policy related to development. Mexico: Develop a second generation of policy program PROSOFT 2.0 to promote the IT industry.  Canada:  Working with the federal government to proactively determine the role technologies may play in furthering its mandate around national security, economic prosperity, and energy efficiency and environmental policy.
• Anti-Counterfeit (ACF): Raise awareness of counterfeiting of HP products and strengthen LAR ACF laws and enforcement priorities. 

OpEx/Risk Reduction

• Brazil - MFU Classification: Reduce import duty on high-end SKUs by changing classification model.
• Data Privacy: Work with industry and other relevant actors to develop data privacy frameworks that provide adequate protection to personal information while preventing barriers to the private sector. 
• Government Procurement: Ensure that government procurement framework for IT is transparent and equitable.  Mexico: Ensure that Austerity Decree is implemented in an efficient way.  Canada:  Encourage government to take a solution-based approach to procurement as opposed to a commoditized approach, factoring in criteria such as quality, service, reliability and energy efficiency in addition to cost.

Environment

• Energy Efficiency/E -Waste:  Create incentives for the use of energy efficient IT products; continue working with relevant sectors to ensure that Latin American countries and Canada enact legal and regulatory frameworks for the management of e-wastes that will improve environmental standards at a moderate cost impact for HP.  Promote tax incentives for responsible and proactive e-waste management.
• Planet Partners: Work with governments to approve Planet Partners program for toner in selected countries, and expand approvals to ink wherever possible.
• Canada: Work with Natural Resources Canada and government to help develop regulations and standards around their standby power initiative.