US maintains duty on VN tra fish
A household farmer harvests tra fish in O Mon District, southern Can Tho City. Tra fish fillets exported to the US will continue to be subject to anti-dumping tax for at least five more years. — VNA/VNS Photo Duy Khuong
HA NOI (VNS) — The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has decided to maintain its anti-dumping tax on tra fish fillets imported from Viet Nam for at least five more years.
The Viet Nam Competition Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade broke the news on the decision following the commission’s second sunset review for anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese tra fish fillets.
“As a result of this second sunset review, the US Department of Commerce (DoC) finds that the revocation of the anti-dumping duty order on certain frozen fish fillets from Viet Nam will likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping at current levels,” US authorities announced on federalregister.gov.
The US DoC conducted investigations on Vietnamese tra fish fillets in June 2002. On August 12, 2003, it increased its anti-dumping duty on the fillets from 36.84 to 63.88 per cent.
The case has so far been subjected to 10 administrative reviews and one sunset review in 2009.
According to the US law on sunset review, the DoC must lift an anti-dumping duty or countervailing duty after five years. However, the duty will remain if the DoC and the ITC have concluded that the lifting of tariffs could lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping.
After paying the duty for 10 years, few Vietnamese tra fish exporters to the US have enjoyed a zero tax rate for proving that they have not dumped their products on the US market.
The VASEP said tra fish exports to the US have declined in the first 10 months of 2014.
From January 1 to October 15, the export value of tra fish from Viet Nam to the US experienced a 17-per cent year-on-year decrease to US$254 million.
The US is the second largest export market for Vietnamese tra fish, accounting for 18.8 per cent of total tra fish export value. — VNS