Trade panel says lumber tariffs OK 08/14/03: The WTO said last month that Canada's system of providing lumber producers with timber from public lands was a financial contribution and therefore subject to U.S. duties. The trade organization also said the U.S. method of determining the level of duties was flawed.
Similarly, the NAFTA panel criticized the analysis used by the Commerce Department to determine the tariffs, but said there was enough evidence to show that some duties were warranted.
The panel said the department erred by using U.S. prices to calculate the market value of Canadian timber, thereby setting the benchmark price artificially high.
Mixed ruling in softwood lumber dispute: The complex trade dispute has become contentious and disruptive on both sides of the border, with groups on opposing sides of the issue releasing statements Wednesday arguing that the ruling went in their favor.
A Georgia-based association of lumber mills said the ruling supported the Commerce Department's duties, while an association of lumber mills in British Columbia said the ruling "decisively rejected" the U.S. tariffs.