Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the affirmative final determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of rubber bands from Thailand, and its negative final determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of rubber bands from Thailand. Commerce determined that exporters from Thailand have sold rubber bands at less than fair value in the United States at rates ranging from 0.00 to 5.87 percent, while also finding that exporters received de minimis countervailable subsidies, therefore the countervailing duty investigation will be terminated.
Upon publication of the final affirmative antidumping duty determination, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect AD cash deposits equal to the applicable final weighted-average dumping margins.
In 2017, imports of rubber bands from Thailand were valued at an estimated $12.1 million.
The petitioner is Alliance Rubber Company (AR).
The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump Administration. Since the beginning of the current Administration, Commerce has initiated 143 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations – this is a 249 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.
Antidumping and countervailing duty laws provide American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 470 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) is currently scheduled to make its final injury determination on or about April 15, 2019. If the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue an AD order. If the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the AD investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.
Click HERE for a fact sheet on today’s decisions.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade law and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international law and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.
Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties. Companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks, or production inputs, are subject to countervailing duties aimed at directly countering those subsidies.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
