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Customs disburses $35.8M

By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, January 26, 2009

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection has disbursed another $35.8 million in duties collected on wood bedroom furniture imported from China.

The monies were distributed under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act to 23 U.S. furniture companies that had been injured by Chinese wood bedroom furniture imports sold into the United States at below normal market values.

The funds distributed in fiscal year 2008, which ended Sept. 30, are nearly equal to the $35.1 million disbursed in FY 2007 and $14 million higher than the $21.8 million disbursed in FY 2006.

According to the report, there is an additional $58.2 million available to seven other domestic producers that did not support the original 2003 antidumping petition, but have requested a portion of the duties that have been collected thus far.

The money is held up pending the outcome of litigation involving other industries in which non-petitioners have claimed a right to monies. If the courts rule in their favor, the furniture companies could receive the funds.

Furniture companies with the most at stake are Ethan Allen, which could receive as much as $26.9 million in duties collected, and Ashley Furniture, which could get as much as $16.3 million.

Other non-petitioning companies seeking a portion of the duties include Furniture Brands International ($9.4 million), Standard Furniture ($2.8 million), Kimball Furniture Group ($1.6 million), Orleans Furniture ($998,123), and Witmer Inds. ($177,659).

Amounts awarded to the 23 petitioners in FY 2008 include:

American of Martinsville, $3.1 million
Bassett Furniture Inds., $2.1 million
Bebe Furniture, $88,890
Carolina Furniture Works, $911,053
Century Furniture, $717,834
Harden Furniture, $168,892
Higdon Furniture, $765,073
Johnson Tombigbee Furniture Mfg., $1.6 million
Kincaid Furniture, $2.4 million
L and JG Stickley, $1.1 million
Lea Inds., $1.5 million
Michels and Co., $621,592
MJ Wood Products, $288,966
Mobel Inc., $698,510
Oakwood Interiors, $399,844
Perdue Woodworks Inc., $843,188
Sandberg Furniture, $1.7 million
Stanley Furniture, $9.7 million
T Copeland and Sons Inc., $319,644
Tom Seely Furniture, $157,843
United Steel Paper International Union, $53.82
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture, $6.2 million
Vermont Quality Wood Products, $419,640

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U.S. disburses $35.8 million in furniture duties

Jan 21, 2009

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