Statement from NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald on Proposed Canadian Lumber Tariffs
June 26 2017 - 9:21PM
Business Wire
Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Kerrville,
Texas, today issued the following statement regarding the U.S.
Commerce Department’s preliminary decision to impose up to 7.7
percent anti-dumping duties on Canadian lumber imports:
“This latest action by the Commerce Department to impose
anti-dumping duties of up to more than 7 percent on Canadian lumber
shipments into the U.S. is basically another tax on American home
builders and home buyers that will jeopardize affordable housing in
America.
“Adding this new tariff to the proposed 20 percent
countervailing lumber duty that the Trump administration slapped on
imports of lumber this spring means that total tariffs would be a
whopping 27 percent. Given that lumber is a major component in new
home construction, the combined duties will harm housing
affordability and price countless American households out of the
housing market.”
“A robust housing market is essential to stimulate job and
economic growth. With the U.S. housing sector regaining its
footing, imposing arbitrary protectionist restrictions to subsidize
domestic lumber producers will blunt this forward momentum and make
homeownership more expensive for hard-working families. Clearly,
this is not the way to resolve the U.S.-Canada lumber trade dispute
or to boost the American economy.
“The U.S. relies on Canada for approximately one-third of its
lumber needs because of the limited domestic timber supply
available for harvesting. Policymakers need to take steps to
significantly reduce red tape that prevents the U.S. Forest Service
from better managing its timber lands and increase the delivery of
domestic timber products into the market.”
ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a
Washington-based trade association representing more than 140,000
members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily
construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing
finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of
residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated
with 700 state and local home builders associations around the
country. NAHB's builder members will construct about 80 percent of
the new housing units projected for this year.
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National Association of Home BuildersLiz Thompson,
202-266-8495ethompson@nahb.orgwww.nahb.org