US imposes tariffs on aluminium sheet imports

NEW DELHI:  The US Commerce Department has slapped provisional anti-dumping duties on import of common alloy aluminum sheet (CAAS) from some 18 countries including India, Egypt, Brazil, Germany, Italy and South Korea.

The affirmative preliminary determinations in probes into anti-dumping allows US to collect extra duties from aluminium sheet imports from these countries, which could be refunded next year  if a commisson 
determines that the countries were not unfairly dumping aluminium products.

“The Department’s aluminum sheet investigations constitute the broadest U.S. trade enforcement action in two decades,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in a statement. Duties imposed will be highest against Germany ranging from 52-132 per cent. Anti-dumping Duties on CAAS imports from India will range from 0-47.92 per cent, the US Commerce Department said.

According to Prof Biswajit Dhar of JNU, a member of the Board of Trade, “while the impact of these measures is very limited as we don’t sell much aluminium sheets to the US, it is a symptom of what has been happening. Most countries impacted by the pandemic are becoming protectionist and are trying to shut out imports on one pretext or the other.”