WASHINGTON – Economists from Boston-based Reeve & Associates and San Juan-based Estudios Técnicos, Inc. today released a joint report, “The Impact of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico,” that concluded the Jones Act has no impact on either retail prices or the cost of living in Puerto Rico. In addition, the report found that the state of the art maritime technology, Puerto-Rico focused investments, and dedicated closed-loop service offered by Jones Act carriers provide a significant positive economic impact to the island, at freight rates lower or comparable to similar services to other Caribbean Islands.
In the first comprehensive report on the impact of the Jones Act in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, the authors analyzed the economic impact of the Jones Act – a critical economic and national security law that ensures goods transported from U.S. port to U.S. port be on vessels that are American crewed, and American built and owned. The report analyzed the impact on consumers by evaluating the competitiveness of freight rates in the United
States/Puerto Rico market, the quality of service provided by the Jones Act carriers, and the impact of the carriers’ freight rates on the prices of goods shipped between the United States mainland and Puerto Rico.
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REPORT: Impact of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico (
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REPORT: The Jones Act and Puerto Rico (
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