U.S. Will Collect Tariffs as High as 30 Percent on Canadian Softwood Lumber
The U.S. is slapping additional tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, and will charge combined duties that will range for 17 per cent to 30 percent, the U.S. Commerce Secretary announced today.
The additional duties will affect New Brunswick, but not the rest of Atlantic Canada. Earlier today, the Commerce Department announced that Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia should be excluded from the ongoing investigation.
“The United States is committed to free and fair trade, as seen today with the preliminary decision to exclude softwood lumber from the Canadian Atlantic Provinces in the ongoing antidumping and countervailing duty cases,” said Ross in a press release. “While I remain optimistic that we will be able to reach a negotiated solution on softwood lumber, until we do we will continue to vigorously apply the AD and CVD laws to stand up for American companies and their workers.”
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The Commerce Department said Canadian exporters have sold softwood lumber in the United States at 7.72 percent to 4.59 percent less than fair value. The department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of softwood lumber from Canada based on these preliminary rates.
When combined the applicable duty rates range from 30.88 percent to 17.41 percent, the Commerce Department said.
In 2016, the Commerce Department said imports of softwood lumber from Canada were valued at an estimated $5.66-billion.