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U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, has joined other House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in defending an antidumping duty on petroleum wax candles from China.
Representatives wrote a letter to Secretary of Commerce John Bryson to address ruling requests with the U.S. Department of Commerce that could undermine the antidumping duty, meant to prevent dumping of cheap Chinese candle imports to protect the American candlemaking industry.
Candles that contain any amount of petroleum wax are subject to a 108.3 percent duty when they pass through U.S. Customs Service. It covers candles of all shapes, sizes, styles and types, except birthday, utility and figurine candles.
Recently, there have been requests to challenge the narrow scope of excluded candles.
“The 108.3 percent antidumping duty on petroleum wax candles from China is critically important to the preservation of the U.S. candle manufacturing industry,” the representatives wrote. “If the department does not maintain and strictly enforce its specific definitions for the excluded candles, we fear that the effectiveness of the antidumping duty order will be negatively impacted.”
Walter Jones, R-N.C., Richard Neal, D-Mass.; Mike Ross, D-Ark.; and James Renacci, R-Wadsworth, co-authored the letter with Turner.