The Commerce Department on Monday announced a preliminary decision to raise anti-dumping duties on most Canadian lumber imports to 20.07 percent, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.
The move is intended to offset what the U.S. asserts are unfairly low prices that stem from Canadian government subsidies.
The preliminary revisions, which could be subject to alterations, would nearly triple the current anti-dumping duty on Canadian lumber, which is set at 7.66 percent, and is in addition to current countervailing duties set at 6.74 percent.
The combined anti-dumping and countervailing duty rate for most Canadian softwood producers is set at 14.54 percent; the duty hike would bring the total rate to nearly 27 percent. A decision on the countervailing duties has not yet been made, although the anti-dumping hike is a signal those duties will be raised as well.
