Hours after Donald Trump doubled down on his vow to hit $3 billion worth of Canadian lumber with a 25% tariff starting tomorrow – which, in effect, is a 40% direct and indirect tax once softwood duties are added – the US Department of Commerce has flagged that softwood duties could jump from 15% to more than 27% under a plan that could decimate Canadia’s softwood industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In effect, this would see combined taxes on Canadian lumber spike at more than 50%, leading David Eby, British Columbia’s Premier, to warn that the new preliminary dumping rate\u2014more than triple the rate it was three years ago\u2014poses a “massive threat” to the province’s forest products industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“B.C.’s iconic forestry sector and the people whose livelihoods depend on it have faced immense challenges for years and, today, are facing a new, massive threat. B.C. has long maintained that any and all duties on softwood lumber are unjustified, and these anti-dumping duties are based on a biased calculation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n