Australia initiates exemption inquiry into duties on hollow sections

Australia has initiated an exemption inquiry into anti-dumping duties currently applied to certain hollow structural sections (HSS) imports from China, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan.

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The inquiry follows an application by Hi-Vis Signs & Safety, an importer of the goods.

After making inquiries of the Australian industry producing HSS and other interested parties, the Australian Anti-Dumping Commission will recommend to the parliamentary secretary of Australia’s Ministry of Industry & Science whether the specified goods should be exempted from the anti-dumping measures, the commission said on Wednesday July 22.

Anti-dumping measures, in the form of a dumping duty notice and a countervailing duty notice, were initially imposed on HSS by public notice on July 3, 2012.

All exporters from China, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are subject to anti-dumping measures, it said.

The exemption goods are classified under tariff subheading 7306.30.00 (statistical code 32) of Schedule 3 to the Australian Customs Tariff Act 1995.

For these goods, the general rate of duty is currently 5% for goods imported from South Korea and Taiwan and 4% for imports from China and Malaysia.

Interested parties are invited to lodge written submissions concerning this inquiry to the commission by August 12.