TRA recommends increasing duties on bus and lorry tyres into the UK

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) in the UK has published its initial findings on the review of anti-dumping and countervailing measures applied to bus and lorry tyre imports from China.

The findings, released yesterday (27th August), suggest raising duties on these imports to protect the UK’s tyre retreading industry.

According to the British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, the UK tyre retreading industry is estimated to contribute around £230 million annually to the economy and supports approximately 5,500 jobs.

The TRA says it 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, the TRA claims that imports of these lower quality tyres would likely increase and harm the UK industry. “This would also be detrimental to the environment as fewer of these tyres would be recycled through the retreading process,” the TRA said.

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.

The TRA uses the example of the Hankook Group, which participated in the transition review and would pay £10.03 per tyre in duties. It adds that those exporters that did not cooperate would pay the residual rate of £110.11 per tyre.