Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act 2018 whether there will be a presumption that the Trade Remedies Authority will impose a trade remedy unless it can be demonstrated that the negative economic effect determined under the economic interest test outweighs the economic benefits of imposing that remedy.

Where the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) finds that there has been injury to a domestic industry caused by the import of dumped or subsidised goods, it is required to conduct an Economic Interest Test, as set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, before recommending measures to the Secretary of State.

In applying that test, the Act makes clear in respect of anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties that there is a presumption in favour of measures being imposed. That presumption applies to the TRA, and to the Secretary of State, and means that measures will be imposed unless it can be demonstrated that the negative economic effects of doing so outweigh the positive.