[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 159 (Thursday, August 17, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42845-42847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20441]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[A-475-059]


Pressure Sensitive Plastic Tape from Italy; Preliminary Results 
of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty 
Administrative Review.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) has conducted an 
administrative review of the antidumping duty order on pressure 
sensitive plastic tape from Italy. The review covers 2 manufacturers/
exporters of the subject merchandise shipped to the United States 
during the period October 1, 1993, through September 30, 1994.
    We have preliminarily determined that sales have been made below 
the foreign market value (FMV). If the preliminary results are adopted 
in our final results of administrative review, we will instruct U.S. 
Customs to assess antidumping duties equal to the difference between 
United States price (USP) and the FMV.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary 
results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 17, 1995.

[[Page 42846]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Todd Peterson or Thomas Futtner, Office of Antidumping Compliance, 
Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-4195 or 482-3814, 
respectively.

Applicable Statute and Regulations

    The Department is conducting this review in accordance with section 
751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Unless 
otherwise indicated, all citations to the statute and to the 
Department's regulations are in reference to the provisions as they 
existed on December 31, 1994.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On October 21, 1977, the Treasury Department published in the 
Federal Register (42 FR 56110) the antidumping finding on pressure 
sensitive plastic tape (PSPT) from Italy. On October 7, 1994, the 
Department published a notice of ``Opportunity to Request 
Administrative Review'' (59 FR 194). On October 24, 1993, the 
petitioner, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), requested 
that we conduct an administrative review of N.A.R., S.p.A. (NAR) for 
the period October 1, 1993, through September 30, 1994. On October 13, 
1994, a respondent, Autoadesivi Magri s.r.l. (Magri) also requested 
that we conduct an administrative review. We published a notice of 
initiation of the antidumping administrative review on November 14, 
1994.
    The Department is conducting the administrative review in 
accordance with section 751 of the Act.

Scope of the Review

    Imports covered by the review are shipments of PSPT measuring over 
1\3/8\ inches in width and not exceeding 4 mils in thickness. During 
the period of review (POR), the above described PSPT was classified 
under HTS subheadings 3919.90.20 and 3919.90.50. Although the HTS 
subheadings are provided for convenience and for Customs purposes, our 
written description of the scope of this review is dispositive.
Use of Best Information Available (BIA)

    In its February 27, 1995, response, Magri reported that its home 
market was not viable as a basis for FMV. It therefore reported third 
country sales. Based on information gathered while on verification, the 
Department determined that errors in Magri's reporting of the volume 
and value of home market sales had materially distorted its viability 
analysis, i.e., the home market was in fact viable and should have been 
used as the basis of foreign market value in accordance with the 
Department's normal practice (19 CFR 353.46). Although Magri attempted 
to respond to all the Department's requests for information, the data 
submitted were unverifiable. In particular, at verification in Italy we 
discovered that approximately 27.6% of total German sales for 1993 were 
unreported and 23% of German sales for 1994 were unreported. Finally, 
significant discrepancies and errors in Magri's sales listings were 
identified, thereby making it impossible to verify several of Magri's 
claimed adjustments. For a detailed analysis supporting these 
conclusions, see Magri's verification report dated July 11, 1995. Thus 
pursuant to 776(b) of the statute, the Department must resort to BIA.
    As for NAR, it failed to respond to the Department's questionnaire. 
Thus pursuant to 776(c) of the statute, the Department must resort to 
BIA.
    In deciding what to use as BIA, the Department's regulations 
provide that the Department may take into account whether a party 
refuses to provide requested information (19 CFR 353.37(b)). Thus, the 
Department determines, on a case-by-case basis, what constitutes BIA. 
For the purpose of these preliminary results, we applied the following 
two-tier BIA analysis where we were unable to use a company's response 
for purposes of determining a dumping margin (see Final Results of 
Antidumping Duty Administrative Review of Antifriction Bearings and 
Parts Thereof from France, et al., 58 FR 39739, July 26, 1993):

    1. When a company refuses to cooperate with the Department or 
otherwise significantly impedes these proceedings, we used as BIA 
the higher of (1) the highest of the rates found for any firm for 
the same class or kind of merchandise in the same country of origin 
in the original less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation or prior 
administrative reviews; or (2) the highest rate found in this review 
for any firm for the same class or kind of merchandise in the same 
country of origin.
    2. When a company substantially cooperates with our requests for 
information and, substantially cooperates in verification, but fails 
to provide the information requested in a timely manner or in the 
form required or was unable to substantiate it, we used as BIA the 
higher of (1) the highest rate even applicable to the firm for the 
same class or kind of merchandise from either the LTFV investigation 
or a prior administrative review, or if the firm has never before 
been investigated or reviewed, the ``all others'' rate from the LTFV 
investigation; or (2) the highest calculated rate in this review for 
the class or kind of merchandise for any firm from the same country 
of origin.

    Pursuant to 776(b) of the Act, which provides for BIA when the 
Department is unable to verify the accuracy of the information 
submitted, we are applying second-tier, cooperative BIA to Magri's 
entries. This rate represents the highest rate ever applied to Magri in 
previous antidumping proceedings.
    Since NAR failed to respond to the Department's questionnaire 
pursuant to 776(c) of the Act, we are applying first-tier, punitive BIA 
to its entries. This is the highest calculated rate from a prior 
administrative review.

Preliminary Results of Review

    As a result of this review, we preliminarily determine that the 
following margins exist for the period October 1, 1993, through 
September 30, 1994:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Manufacturer/Exporter                        Margin  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Autoadesivi Magri..........................................       12.66%
N.A.R. S.p.A...............................................       12.66%
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department shall determine, and the Customs Service shall 
assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. Individual 
differences between USP and FMV may vary from the percentages stated 
above. Upon completion of this review, the Department will issue 
appraisement instructions for each exporter directly to the U.S. 
Customs Service.
    Furthermore, the following deposit requirements will be effective 
for all shipments of the subject merchandise, entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the 
final results of this administrative review, as provided for by section 
751(a)(1) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for the reviewed firm 
will be that firm's rate established in the final results of this 
administrative review; (2) for previously reviewed or investigated 
companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will continue to be 
the company-specific rate published for the most recent period; (3) if 
the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, or the original LTFV 
investigation, but the manufacturer is, the cash deposit rate will be 
the rate established for the most recent period for the manufacturer of 
the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other 
manufacturers or exporters not previously reviewed will be 12.66 
percent, the ``new shipper'' rate established in the first notice of 
final results of administrative review published by the Department (48 
FR 35686, August 5, 1983).

[[Page 42847]]

    These deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect 
until publication of the final results of the next administrative 
review.
    Interested parties may request disclosure within five days of the 
date of publication of this notice, and may request a hearing within 10 
days of the date of publication. Any hearing, if requested, will be 
held as early as convenient for the parties but not later than 44 days 
after the date of publication or the first workday thereafter. Case 
briefs or other written comments from interested parties may be 
submitted not later than 30 days after the date of publication of this 
notice. Rebuttal briefs and rebuttal comments, limited to issues raised 
in the case briefs, may be filed not later than 37 days after the date 
of publication. The Department will publish the final results of this 
administrative review, including its analysis of issues raised in any 
such written comments.
    This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their 
responsibility under 19 CFR 353.26 to file a certificate regarding the 
reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the 
relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this 
requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that 
reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent 
assessment of double antidumping duties.
    This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to 
administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility 
concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 353.34(d). Timely written notification or 
conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to 
comply with the regulations and the terms of the APO is a sanctionable 
violation.
    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 19 CFR 
353.22.

    Dated: August 4, 1995.
Susan G. Esserman,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-20441 Filed 8-16-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M