The principle has already been enshrined in the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act, 2000, which the US Treasury passes on the proceeds of antidumping levies to petitioners proving injury. In a seasonal gesture it sent out some very large cheques just before Christmas - 4.2m dollars to Bethehem Steel, for instance. Of course, in reality such payments bear ultimately on US consumers. The industrial consumer group CITAC was quick to recognize and criticize this aspect of the US Steel paper.The whole idea of special payments for legacy costs is denounced by EAF steelmakers for another reason: as unjustifiable state subsidies for inefficient traditional steelmakers, for reasons of self-interest and arithmetic. They are-with some exceptions-the growing edge of the steel industry they would not qualify for any significant aid as their current workforce far outnumbers their pensioners.
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