Regulation of the Day 29: Protecting Us from Cheap Foreign Goods

Sometimes (but not always), when a foreign producer sells goods to U.S. consumers cheaply, the U.S. government takes action to put a stop to it. Trade economists call this antidumping policy. This usually means putting tariffs on cheap goods to raise their prices. These tariffs protect consumers because competitive pricing is anti-competitive.

And no, I don’t get that logic either.

Regardless, the International Trade Agency announced this week that it is updating its antidumping rules for the following foreign products:

Certain Pasta from Italy, Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from Thailand, Fresh and Chilled Atlantic Salmon from Norway, Purified Carboxymethylcellulose from Mexico, Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils from Taiwan, Welded ASTM A–312 Stainless Steel Pipe from the Republic of Korea, Narrow Woven Ribbons with Woven Selvedge from the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils from Japan, Carbazole Violet Pigment 23 from the People’s Republic of China, Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils from Mexico, and finally, Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip from India.

More to come, I’m sure.