Mexico ups import duties to 25 percent in the face of tariff-rate quotas

摘要

In what appeared to be a clear reaction to the U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) vote that allows President Bush to impose trade restriction on wire rod imports from Mexico and Canada, the Mexican Government announced it has increased import duties to 25 percent from 15 percent on 39 categories of steel products, including wire rod and other wire products.In a 4-2 vote, the ITC agreed that surging wire rod imports from Canada and Mexico made a three-year trade remedy for those imports ineffective for domestic manufacturers. Canada and Mexico had been exempt from the tariff-quota restrictions of the trade remedy, Section 201, which was stipulated by President Clinton and has been in place now for 18 months.