US Maintains Anti-Dumping Duties on Steel Plate from Indonesia

07/12/2011 12:00 - 365 Views

Theindonesiatoday.com – U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted 6-0 to continue tariffs on cut-to-length steel plate (CTLP) imports from Korea, India and Indonesia for another five years, while revoking the orders for plate from Japan and Italy.

According to the ITC, the existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on steel plate from the three countries is being maintained because ending the tariffs would likely lead to recurrence of material injury.

The duties were first placed on steel plate imports from the seven countries in 1999 and a first sunset review was held in 2005. Monday’s vote was a second review as required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

Leo W. Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers (USW), said each of the steel producing countries argued for ending the tariffs, but the strong vote by the ITC demonstrated the domestic industry is still trying to recover from a weak market.

“Five American steel producers operating plate mills in seven states and employing about 4,000 steelworkers were threatened if the duty orders were not kept in place.”

Source: theindonesiatoday.com