RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/AHG/W/28
8October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4283)
Original: English Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
AdHocGroup onImplementation
TOPIC 2*-THE PERIOD OFDATA COLLECTION
Paper bytheUnited States
Thefollowing communication, dated 7October 1997, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission oftheUnited States.
_______________
Introduction
Theanti-dumping lawsoftheUnited States areadministered jointly bytheUSDepartment
ofCommerce (theCommerce Department orDepartment) andtheUSInternational Trade Commission
(theCommission). Each agency conducts itsown, separate investigation using different periods of
datacollection. TheCommerce Department investigates whether saleshavebeenmade atlessthan
fairvalue andcompares theprices ofidentical orsimilar merchandise soldintheUSmarket withthat
soldinthecomparison market, while theCommission investigates whether adomestic industry inthe
United States ismaterially injured, threatened withmaterial injury, ortheestablishment ofanindustry
ismaterially retarded byreason ofimports soldatlessthanfairvalue.
USDepartment ofCommerce
TheUSanti-dumping statute,1liketheAnti-Dumping Agreement, doesnotspecify theprecise
period ofinvestigation (POI) thattheDepartment should examine inananti-dumping investigation.
Guidance regarding thetimeperiods fordatacollection issetoutintheDepartment ’sregulations.2
TherelevantregulationprovidesthattheDepartmentnormallywillexaminetransactionsformerchandise
soldduring thefourmostrecently completed fiscal quarters asofthemonth preceding themonth in
which thepetition wasfiled, orinwhich theDepartment self-initiated theinvestigation.
TheDepartment ’sregulations provide thatininvestigations involving merchandise from a
non-market economy, thePOIwillnormally bethetwomostrecently completed fiscal quarters asof
*See document G/ADP/W/401 fordescriptions ofthenumbered topics.
1Subtitle BofTitle VII(Sections 731-739) oftheTariff Actof1930, asamended (19USC. 1673-1673h).
2See19C.F.R. 351.204(b)(1).
./.G/ADP/AHG/W/28
Page2
themonth preceding themonth inwhich thepetition wasfiled orinwhich theDepartment has
self-initiated aninvestigation.3
TheDepartment believes thatdefining thePOIinterms ofcompleted fiscal quarters, rather
thancalendar months running from thedateoffiling, provides forefficient andaccurate useofthe
datamaintained bytheparties intheiraccounting records which aretypically based uponfiscal quarters.
Using dataregarding saleswhich weremade priortothefiling ofthepetition orself-initiation alleviates
concerns overtheeffect ofthefiling orinitiation onpricing practices inthemarket.
Under theregulations, theDepartment retains thediscretion toexamine transactions regarding
merchandise soldduring anyadditional oralternate period thatDepartment determines isappropriate.4
Forexample, analternative period maybemore appropriate toaddress long-term contracts, and
circumstances involving special order orcustomized sales.
USInternational Trade Commission
TheCommission determines whether anindustry intheUnited States ismaterially injured,
threatened withmaterial injury, orwhether theestablishment ofanindustry intheUnited States is
materially retarded byreason ofimports ofthemerchandise thatissubject totheanti-dumping
investigation.5
Inorder tocompile arecord upon which itmaymake itsdetermination ofmaterial injury by
reason ofdumped imports, theCommission issues questionnaires tosolicit information from US
producers, USimporters, andforeign producers. Separate questionnaires aresentatthepreliminary
andfinalphases oftheCommission investigations, inpart,sothatitsdeterminations aremade based
oncurrent information regarding subject imports andthedomestic industry. These questionnaires
generally seekinformation fromaperiod covering thepastthree calendar years andpartial yeardata
pertaining tothose calendar quarters thatarecomplete atthetimeoftheissuance ofthequestionnaires.
However, theCommission mayvarythelength oftheperiod ofinvestigation ifadifferent period would
moreaccurately reflect theseasonal production orbusiness cycles oftheindustry. Financial information
iscollected from eachfirmusing thatfirm’sfiscal years andtheintervening calendar quarters since
theendofthelastfiscal year. Asanexample, assume thatapreliminary phase investigation isinitiated
inJune1997andapreliminary injury determination mustbemade byAugust 1997. Inthatcase, the
Commission would normally issuequestionnaires tocollect dataonthecalendar years 1994-1996 and
thefirstcalendar quarter of1997. Datawould alsobecollected onthefirstcalendar quarter of1996
sothatacomparison canbemade between thetwopart-year periods.
3Id.
4Id.
5See19USC. 1673(2).