HCMC – Dong Thap-based Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company said that it may file a lawsuit against the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) if the company’s tra fish exports to the US incur anti-dumping duties.
The Vietnamese company made the announcement on its website at www.vinhhoan.com.vn on Sunday, five days after DOC made a preliminary decision on anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese seafood shipped stateside.
According to the decision after the sixth administrative review, Vinh Hoan would incur anti-dumping duties on exports to the U.S. from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009. The company had, however, been exempt from anti-dumping duty in the fifth DOC review.
A source who requested anonymity told the Daily that anti-dumping tariffs imposed on products of some Vietnamese seafood exporters may range from 0% to 136%. The source said DOC, in this review, used third-country market Philippines instead of Bangladesh as a benchmark for determining the anti-dumping margins for Vietnamese tra fish, resulting in the increase in the tariffs.
Despite the bad news, Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, deputy general director of the company, still seemed optimistic, saying there was still a chance for change because the decision was preliminary not final.
According to a representative of the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA), an agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the decision is made by DOC, so it’s legal for a company that is imposed an anti-dumping tariff to file a lawsuit against the authority to the US court.
