The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has announced that it will be recommending increasing the duties paid by the majority of Chinese tyre exporters in efforts to protect the UK’s tyre retreading industry, following two transition reviews into anti-dumping and countervailing measures on lorry and bus tyres imported from China.
TBR Tyres from China Set for Increased Duties into UK Market
According to the British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, the UK’s retreading industry is estimated to contribute around £230 million to the UK economy each year and supports 5,500 UK jobs.
The transition review covered the UK’s current anti-dumping and counterveiling measures which had been initially applied by virtue of the UK’s membership to the European Union. These measures were transitioned into UK law at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
In its announcement the TRA stated the following, “The TRA has assessed evidence that historically, many of the tyres imported into the UK from China have been lower quality, “single-use” tyres which are less likely to be retreadable. If the measures were removed, it is likely that imports of these lower quality tyres would increase and cause injury to UK industry. This would also be detrimental to the environment as fewer of these tyres would be recycled through the retreading process.”
Based on evidence provided, the TRA has recommended that the new combined anti-dumping and countervailing duty rates range from £10.03 per tyre to £110.11 per tyre.
On the recommended duties the TRA communicated the following, “The Hankook Group, which participated in the transition review, would pay £10.03 per tyre in duties, while those exporters that did not cooperate would pay the residual rate of £110.11 per tyre.”
Retreading Business is currently analysing the TRA’s public file on the investigation and will report further on the announcement in the coming days, meanwhile the TRA has invited all businesses that are due to be affected by the reviews to comment on the initial findings via their online case platform by 17 September 2024.
