On December 30, 2020 the U.S. Department of Commerce ("Commerce") announced its preliminarily determination that passenger vehicle and light truck tires from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam are being dumped in the United States at rates ranging from 14.24 to 38.07 percent for Korea, 52.42 to 98.44 percent for Taiwan, 13.25 to 22.21 percent for Thailand, and 0.00 to 22.30 percent for Vietnam. Customs will now begin collecting cash deposits on these imports.
Imports from Vietnam have been subject to cash deposits ranging from 6.23 to 10.08 percent since November 2020, when Commerce issued its preliminary determination that these imports were subsidized by the Government of Vietnam.
Imports of subject tires from these four countries in 2019 were valued at almost four billion dollars. Commerce is currently scheduled to issue its final determinations of both dumping and subsidization on May 13, 2021.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) determined in July 2020 that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of unfairly traded imports of passenger vehicle and light truck tires from the four countries. If the USITC votes in the affirmative in the final phase of its investigation and Commerce continues to find countervailable subsidies and dumping in its final determinations, Commerce will issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders.
Schagrin Associates prepared the cases on behalf of the United Steelworkers, which represents workers at tire plants in eight states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, New York and Virginia. Schagrin Associates has over 35 years of experience representing clients in antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings. For more information, please visit our website at www.schagrinassociates.com.