According to the Minister of Jobs, Trade, and Technology, a small mill in Longview, Washington is to blame for the duties levied on Catalyst Paper’s newsprint exports.
The duties, while eight per cent lower than they were initially, still impose tariffs of more than 20 per cent on newsprint heading from Catalyst to American markets.
Bruce Ralston says this decision from the U.S. Department of Commerce has been met with opposition at every turn, and yet the duties are still there.
Ralston says these duties aren’t just impacting Catalyst, but also many American operations.
The International Trade Commission is set to make a decision on these duties on August 29.
If the I.T.C decides that there has been no injury to American industry, Ralston says the 20 per cent duties will be scrapped and money collected from these duties will be refunded.
However, if the decision goes the other way, the province and the federal government will appeal.
