Govt slaps antidumping duty on DVDs from Malaysia, Thailand.

NEW DELHI: India has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to USD 50.51 per 1,000 pieces on DVDs from Malaysia , Thailand and Vietnam to protect the domestic industry.

"The anti-dumping duty imposed under this notification shall be levied for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier) with effect from the date of imposition of the provisional anti-dumping duty, that is, the 12th April, 2010," the Department of Revenue said.

The restrictive duty on Digital Versatile Disc (DVDs) Recordable would range from USD 25.98 per 1,000 pieces to USD 50.51 per 1,000 pieces, it said.

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), a nodal agency under the Commerce Ministry, had recommended imposition of the duty after an investigation. While the Commerce Ministry recommends anti-dumping duty, the Finance Ministry imposes it.

The DGAD had concluded in its probe that the domestic industry had suffered a material injury on account of dumped imports of the DVDs from the three nations.

Imports from these countries grew from 4,27,000 pieces in 2005-06 to 7.98 crore pieces in 2008-09.

India has imposed duties on 12 products, including compact fluorescent lamps and radial tyres from China in 2009-10.

Unlike safeguard duties, which are levied in a uniform way, anti-dumping duties vary from product-to-product and from country-to-country.

Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to check if their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports.

As a counter-measure, they impose duties within the multilateral regime of the WTO. Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level playing field to domestic players. It is not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in the cost of products.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com