:: rawblogXport ::

:: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 ::

WTO upholds U.S. duties on Canadian lumber but calls for recalculation By NAOMI KOPPEL, canadaeast.com
GENEVA (AP) - The World Trade Organization largely upheld steep anti-dumping tariffs that the United States imposed on imports of Canadian softwood lumber, but ruled Tuesday that U.S. authorities miscalculated the amounts.
In a 393-page ruling, a panel of three trade experts rejected the Canadian government's claim that Washington had acted illegally in investigating whether lumber from Canada was being sold below the cost of production or the price in the home market - a practice known as dumping.

But two of the panellists ruled that the U.S. government's calculations were wrong because they used a method called 'zeroing,' in which sales at above-market prices are ignored. They said the WTO should order the U.S. government to change its measures to conform with WTO rules.

In January, before the report was made public, U.S. officials said the WTO panel had rejected all Canada's claims and hailed the ruling as a big victory.

U.S. Claims Most Victories in Lumber Wars Reuters, boston.com
But lumber industries on both sides of the border were anxiously awaiting a separate decision -- by a North America Free Trade Agreement panel on April 30. That panel has been asked to decide whether the U.S. industry is threatened with injury as a result of Canadian wood exports.

A negative finding would bring an end to all U.S. duties.

posted 6:51 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

-------------------------------------------