Anti-dumping duties, which unfairly penalise imports that are deemed too cheap, are one of the most pernicious protectionist devices. After all, we ought to be cheering if the cost of imports falls, because it makes the money in our pocket stretch further, not taxing consumers in order to try to prop up less efficient domestic producers.
The good news is that governments’ use of anti-dumping has halved over the past four years.
The bad news is that two villains have yet to mend their ways.
Despite Peter Mandelson’s pledge to reform the EU’s protectionist
anti-dumping laws, Brussels launched
more anti-dumping cases in the first half of this year than in the first half of 2005, as did India. Those two are now the world’s biggest anti-dumping users.
For more details, see the Global Trade Protection Report 2006 by Cliff Stevenson of antidumpingpublishing.com