By PJ Boyd –
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel of three has ruled that U.S. duties imposed on Canadian softwood exports into the U.S. is in breach of global trading rules following a ninth case before the WTO in the lumber dispute, reports Reuters.
The 17.99 per cent tariff has been imposed on Canadian lumber exports since the previous U.S./Canada settlement agreement ended in 2015. The U.S. argues that provincial government subsidies have enabled Canadian lumber producers to sell at a competitive cost lower than U.S. rivals. The WTO’s ruling comes as they believe the U.S. government has not shown enough evidence of Canadian firms paying artificially lower prices for timber on government-owned lands.
U.S. trade representatives have criticized this ruling.
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