DHA eNews - Furniture Importers Fined $5.2 Million For Evading Duties
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White House Photo © Shealah Craighead
Furniture importer Blue Furniture Solutions and its successor company will pay more than $5 million for violating the False Claims Act. The U.S. government alleges that CEO Yingqing Zeng and CFO Alex Cheng conspired to avoid paying millions of dollars in antidumping duties and customs fees by describing wood furniture imported from China as "metal" or "non-bedroom" furniture.
The U.S. government announced that it will allow companies to defer paying tariffs on many imported goods for 90 days. The deferral doesn't apply to antidumping or countervailing duties or to punitive tariffs on Chinese goods.
The United States Trade Representative has announced more tariff exclusions on Chinese products, including glass-fronted wood cabinets with specific dimensions.
South Korea may impose antidumping duties of 9.18% to 10.65% on plywood imported from Vietnam. According to the government's analysis, the prices of plywood products from Vietnam are abnormally low and are negatively affecting South Korean industries.
Hardwood plywood and wood cabinets and vanities are among the products cited by Vietnam's Trade Remedies Authority. China’s hardwood plywood exports to the U.S., now subject to antidumping and antisubsidy duties, fell from $1.1 billion in 2016 to $215.6 million in 2019 as Vietnam's exports to the U.S. grew from $33.4 million to $322.2 million.
On April 17, the EPA announced that composite wood panels regulated under TSCA Title VI for formaldehyde emissions will be exempt from the cost-sharing requirements for EPA's risk characterization of formaldehyde.
After 67 years, the Malloy family has decided to sell Idaho Veneer Company in Post Falls, ID. The site, originally in the middle of farmland, is now in what is considered to be the center of downtown Post Falls.
Jackson Morrill has announced his resignation as president of the Composite Panel Association, effective in September, and will become president and CEO of the American Wood Council on September 16.
Senators Jeff Merkley and Rod Wyden announced that nine federal grants have been awarded across Oregon. The grants, which represent a significant part of the $7.9 million Wood Innovations Grant program, are designed to support innovation in the state's wood products industry and accelerate the adoption of emerging wood technology in building construction.
Amazon has created a $10 million grant to conserve and restore sustainable forestry and wildlife in the Appalachian Mountains, in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust. The program will begin in Vermont and Pennsylvania.
Toyota's new wood concept car, the Setsuna, was created with 86 handmade wood panels that will develop and change as the car ages.