The National Marine Manufacturers Association was among the groups that testified against a proposal to impose a 60 percent import duty on Chinese aluminum, saying there is not enough domestic supply to meet boatbuilder demand.
This story originally appeared in Trade Only Today.
The NMMA testified before the International Trade Commission during a hearing in December about the potential tax on Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet. The levy would impose a “significant price burden” on U.S. marine manufacturers, the NMMA said in its Currents newsletter.
NMMA members are concerned that the tax, if implemented, will affect their ability to maintain current production levels, much less meet projected growth for 2018, said NMMA senior vice president of government relations John McKnight.
Boatbuilders need wide-width material, meaning sheet that is 72 inches or wider, McKnight said, and that as far as he knows there are only two mills in the U.S. and they can’t fill demand.
That means supply must come from outside the U.S., he said.
Many industries have no idea this proposal is on the table.