For Immediate Release: August 1, 2006
Contact: Jennifer Scoggins (202) 482-3809
COMMERCE PROMOTES FAIR TRADE WITH INDIA
Imposes Tariff on Dumped and Subsidized Paper From India
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Department of Commerce today announced its final decisions in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on lined paper products from India. The Department of Commerce found that Indian companies are dumping at 3.91 percent to 23.17 percent of the price in India. Also, Commerce found a variety of tax and license programs that subsidized Indian exports by 1.67 percent to 10.24 percent.
“In our investigation of lined paper, the Department of Commerce found that the Indian lined paper industry is subsidized and sells at unfair prices in the U.S. market,” said Commerce Assistant Secretary David Spooner. “The Bush Administration will continue to work to level the playing field for American manufacturers and diligently enforce our trade laws.”
The petitions for these investigations were filed by MeadWestvaco Corp; Norcom, Inc., Top Flight, Inc., collectively, the Association of American School Paper Suppliers in September 2005. The Department initiated these investigations on September 29, 2005, after determining the petitions met the statutory requirements under the Tariff Act of 1930.
Lined paper products are typically school supplies that feature straight horizontal or vertical lines on 10 or more paper sheets, including single- and multi-subject notebooks, composition books, wireless notebooks, loose-leaf or glued filler paper, graph paper, and laboratory notebooks.
Upon publication of today’s decision in the Federal Register, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will collect a cash deposit or bond from importers of lined paper from India.
Under the U.S. Title VII of Tariff Act of 1930, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) examines whether the U.S. industry is injured by imports of the subject merchandise. The ITC is scheduled to make its final injury or threatened to be injured determinations on or about September 14, 2006.
Background:
Unfair foreign pricing and government subsides distort the free flow of goods and adversely affect American business in the global marketplace. The Import Administration enforces our trade laws and agreements, prevents unfairly traded imports and safeguards jobs and the competitive strength of American industry.
Dumping occurs when a foreign producer sells a product in the United States at a price that is less than fair value, which is often the producer’s sales price in the country of origin (“home market”), or its cost of production. The difference between the price (or cost) in the foreign market and the price in the U.S. market is called the dumping margin. Unless the conduct falls within the legal definition of dumping as specified in U.S. law, a foreign producer selling imports at prices below those of American products is not necessarily dumping.
Foreign governments subsidize industries when they provide financial assistance to benefit the production, manufacture or exportation of goods. Subsidies can take many forms, such as direct cash payments, credits against taxes, and loans at terms that do not reflect market conciliations. The statute and regulations establish standards for determining when an unfair subsidy has conferred. The amount of subsidies the foreign producer receives from the government is the basis for the subsidy rate by which the subsidy is offset or “countervailed.”
For more information about Import Administration or for the fact sheet on today’s final decisions on lined paper products from India please visit www.trade.gov/ia
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