Commerce finds off-road-tire imports subsidized

A Commerce Department investigation has determined that countervailable subsidies are being applied to U.S. imports of certain pneumatic off-road-tires from India and Sri Lanka, but did not find any dumping involving these imports from India.    A Commerce Department investigation has determined that countervailable subsidies are being applied to U.S. imports of certain pneumatic off-road-tires from India and Sri Lanka, but did not find any dumping involving these imports from India.
   Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells an imported product in the United States at less than its fair value. A countervailable subsidy is financial assistance from a foreign government that benefits the production of imported goods by foreign companies, or based on export performance or use of domestic goods over imported goods.
   In its India countervailing investigation, Commerce calculated final subsidy rates of 5.36 percent for Balkrishna Industries Ltd. and 4.9 percent for ATC Tires Private Ltd. Commerce established a subsidy rate of 5.06 percent for all other producers/exporters in India.
   For Commerce’s Sri Lanka countervailing duty investigation, it calculated a final subsidy rate of 2.18 percent for Camso Loadstar (Private) Ltd. and established a subsidy rate of 2.18 percent for all other producers/exporters in Sri Lanka.
   In its India antidumping investigation, Commerce found that ATC Tires Private Ltd. and Balkrishna Industries Ltd. did not sell their pneumatic off-the-road tires into the United States at less than fair value. The investigation was terminated.
   The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to make its final injury determinations in these investigations on Feb. 17. If the ITC makes affirmative final determinations that imports of certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires from India or Sri Lanka harm U.S. industry, then Commerce will proceed with issuing its countervailing duty orders. If the ITC makes a negative injury determination, then the investigations will be terminated.
   The petitioners for these investigations are Titan Tire Corp. of Iowa, and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union in Pennsylvania.
   In 2015, imports pneumatic off-the-road tires from India and Sri Lanka were valued at $156.2 million and $66.6 million, respectively.