46 FR 26671

                             NOTICES

                     DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

                 International Trade Administration

    Die Presses From Italy; Preliminary Results of Administrative Review of
                     Countervailing Duty Order

                        Thursday, May 14, 1981

*26671

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Preliminary Results of Administrative Review of
  Countervailing Duty Order.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce has conducted an administrative review
of the countervailing duty order on die presses from Italy. The review
covers the period January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1980. As a result of this review, the
Department has preliminarily determined the net amount of the subsidy to be the
full value of the rebate for this product under Italian Law 639. Interested parties are
invited to comment on these preliminary results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 14, 1981.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. McGarr, Office of Compliance,
Room 1126, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Washington, D.C. 20230 (202-377-1167).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Procedural Background

On June 10, 1974, a final countervailing duty determination on die presses
from Italy, T.D. 74-165, was published in the Federal Register (39 FR 20369).
The notice stated that the Department of the Treasury had determined that exports
of die presses from Italy benefited from bounties or grants within the meaning of
section 303 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1303) ("the Tariff Act"). Accordingly,
imports of this merchandise were subject to countervailing duties.

On January 1, 1980, the provisions of title I of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979
("the TAA") became effective. On January 2, 1980, the authority for administering
the countervailing duty law was transferred from the Department of the
Treasury to the Department of Commerce ("the Department"). On April 3, 1980, the
International Trade Commission ("the ITC") notified the Department that an injury
determination for this order had been requested under section 104(b) of the TAA.
Therefore, following the requirements of that section, liquidation was suspended on
April 3, 1980, on all shipments of such merchandise entered, or withdrawn from
warehouse, for consumption on or after that date. The Department published in the
Federal Register of May 13, 1980 (45 FR 31455) a notice of intent to conduct
administrative reviews of all outstanding countervailing duty orders. As
required by section 751 of the Tariff Act, the Department has conducted an
administrative review of the order on die presses from Italy.

Scope of the Review

Imports covered by this review are die presses imported directly or indirectly from 
  Italy. These imports are currently classifiable under item 678.5085, Tariff
Schedules of the United States Annotated.

The review covers the period January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1980, and is
limited to rebates granted under Italian Law 639 of July 5, 1964, which was the only
program found countervailable in the Final Determination.

Preliminary Results of the Review

Under Italian Law 639, exporters receive rebates of customs duties and certain
indirect taxes on the export of specified products containing iron and steel. The
rates differ for particular types of products. For die presses the rebate is 20 lire per
kilogram.

The Government of Italy provided no substantive response to our questionnaire
of August 11, 1980, nor were our follow-up requests for information answered. Our
independent investigation has confirmed that the rate legislated in Law 639 still
applies in full for exports of this merchandise to the United States.

Because we have received no information to indicate that any part of the rebate is
not countervailable, we preliminarily determine that the rate of net subsidy
conferred upon producers exporting to the United States is 20 lire per kilogram.
The Department intends to instruct the Customs Service to assess
  countervailing duties of 20 lire per kilogram on all unliquidated entries of

*26672

this merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for 
consumption on or after January 1, 1980, and prior to April 3, 1980. The provisions
of section 303(a)(5) of the Tariff Act, prior to the enactment of the TAA, apply to all
entries prior to January 1, 1980. Accordingly, the Department also intends to
instruct the Customs Service to assess countervailing duties of 15.74 lire per
kilogram, the amount set forth in T.D. 74-165, on all unliquidated entries of this
merchandise which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption
prior to January 1, 1980. (The lower rate is due to allowable offsets reported on
during the initial investigation but not reported during this review.) In addition,
should the ITC find that there is injury or likelihood of injury to an industry in the
United States, the Department intends to instruct the Customs Service to assess
  countervailing duties of 20 lire per kilogram on all unliquidated entries of die
presses entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 3,
1980, and exported on or before December 31, 1980.
Further, as required by section 355.36(c) of the Commerce Regulations, a cash
deposit of estimated countervailing duties of 20 lire per kilogram shall be
required on all shipments entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption
on or after the date of publication of the final results. This requirement shall remain
in effect until publication of the final results of the next administrative review.
Pending publication of the final results of the present review, the existing 
deposit of estimated duties of 15.74 lire per kilogram shall continue to be required
on each entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption of this merchandise,
and liquidation shall continue to be suspended on entries made on or after April 3,
1980 until the Department is notified of a determination by the ITC.

Interested parties may submit written comments on these preliminary results on or
before June 15, 1981 and may request disclosure and/or a hearing on or before June
1, 1981. The Department will publish the final results of this administrative review
including the results of its analysis of any such comments or hearing.

This administrative review and notice are in accordance with section 751(a)(1) of
the Tariff Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)(1)) and section 355.41 of the Commerce
Regulations (19 CFR 355.41).

B. Waring Partridge III,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

May 8, 1981.

[FR Doc. 81-14422 Filed 5-13-81; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-25-M