Washington: The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of certain polyethylene products from India and Taiwan.

In a June 10 affirmative final decision, the commissioners ruled 5-0 that domestic producers in the U S were hurt by imports of polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet and strip from India and Taiwan.

The commissioners' action also leads to imposition of countervailing duties against subsidies on imports from India.

The imposition of such countervailing duties requires affirmative final determinations from commerce department that subsidies were paid and from USITC that a US industry was injured or threatened.

Similarly, impositions of anti-dumping duties too require affirmative determinations from commerce on dumping and from USITC on injury.

In May 2002, the commerce department issued its affirmative final dumping determinations on imports from India and Taiwan as well as the affirmative final subsidy determinations on imports from India.

The dumping margin ranged to 24.11 per cent and countervailing subsidy rates ranged to 24.48 per cent.

The USITC affirmative final injury determination allows the US Customs Service to impose antidumping duties equal to the dumping margins and countervailing duties equal to the net subsidy rates on the subject imports of polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet and strip.

U S imports of polyethylene products from India and Taiwan in 2001 amounted to $44.9 million.

PTI