Bassett to Congress: Help us battle illegal imports
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, August 2, 2004
Washington — The federal government should do more to help U.S. businesses protect their rights under trade laws to fight illegal imports, John Bassett told a Congressional committee last week.
Bassett, president and CEO of case goods manufacturer Vaughan-Bassett Furniture and chairman of the Committee for Legal Trade, which won preliminary duties against Chinese bedroom furniture imports, spoke to the House Committee on Small Business.
He suggested the government devote more resources to fight imports that are dumped — sold at illegally low prices — in this country, and do a better job of informing companies about trade laws.
"We only learned of the antidumping laws of this country after paying $75,000 to a law firm for a study," Bassett said. "I've read that the government spent millions to promote the new $20 bill. I know how to spend a $20 bill, but I wish the government had done more to make me and other manufacturers aware of our rights under trade law."
He also said the U.S. Department of Commerce, which investigates trade law violations, is "underfunded and understaffed."
More resources are needed to look into the Chinese bedroom manufacturers that are shipping to the United States, he said, saying that "several of the worst dumpers" won't be fully investigated until at least 2007.
"And given its limited resources, Commerce will never individually investigate some of the most egregious dumpers. Under current practice, too many non-cooperative Chinese exporters are also able to avoid the 198% duty rate that should be assigned to this group," Bassett said.
Preliminary duties for Chinese wood bedroom furniture range from 4.9% to 198.08%, and vary according to which manufacturers make the product.
Bassett also urged the government to initiate its own antidumping investigations in some cases, and said China should not be granted market economy status under U.S. trade law.
