Import ‘dumping’ worries Customs

Press, 5 August 1983, Page 12

Import ‘dumping’ worries Customs

Parliamentary reporter Complaints against dumping by overseas manufacturers on the New Zealand market more than quadrupled last year. New Zealand had not escaped the world-wide trend towards this unfair trade practice, the Customs Department has said in its annual report to Parliament. Until last year complaints were few and stable, the report said. Last year they jumped from six to 26. Local industry now wanted better anti-dumping measures, and the department had put in place a “comprehensive new strategy,” the report said. It had published its own

code for the public, produced a special booklet for the commercial sector, run seminars throughout the country, increased staff on anti-dumping work, and introduced a way of identifying products likely to be dumped so that special attention could be paid to them. The department was also stepping up its detection of evasion of duty by claims of preferential low-duty status on imported goods. Last year 660 cases were referred to department representatives overseas to establish the correct preference in the country of origin. This led to the collection of $515,000 in extra duty payable.