Paper Tariffs — Will Commerce Be Swayed?

Rising postal rates. Ever-increasing energy prices. Add the cost of obtaining coated free sheet (CFS) paper to the list of runaway costs being experienced by the printing industry.

After socking China and Indonesia with 20-plus percent countervailing duties (CVD) and assessing a smaller tariff (1.76 percent) on South Korea in late March, the U.S. Department of Commerce stood poised to release its final ruling this month, though the ultimate word on the CVDs could come later in 2007. Barring an 11th hour reversal by Commerce, the U.S. paper manufacturing sector’s gain will be the U.S. printer’s loss.