US sets tariffs for Chinese solar cells

[herm]

The Obama administration has imposed tariffs of up to 4.73 per cent on Chinese manufacturers of solar panel cells

James Politi In Washington And Jeremy Lemer In New York - FT - March 20, 2012

Too late for Solyndra --Ed.

The Obama administration has imposed tariffs of up to 4.73 per cent on Chinese manufacturers of solar panel cells, judging that they benefited from unfair export subsidies after a review that split the US solar industry.

The level of tariffs set by the commerce department on Tuesday was lower than expected, but the move still marks the latest chapter in the Obama administration’s efforts to beef up trade enforcement against China.

A lobbying frenzy preceded the ruling on so-called “countervailing duties”, with some US solar companies arguing forcefully in favour of the tariffs to level the playing field with China. Others feared the punitive measures would lead to higher prices on the roughly $3.1bn in annual solar cell imports from China and damage the American solar sector.

In the end, the commerce department’s decision to apply tariffs but at a relatively low rate allowed both sides to claim a win. Jigar Shah, the founder of Sun Edison and chairman of the coalition that opposed the tariffs, said: “This is an initial victory for the American solar industry and its 100,000 employees ... With these low tariffs, they basically came out and said China is not over subsidising solar.”

But Steve Ostrenga, chief executive officer of Helios Solar Works and a member of the coalition that led the charge in favour of the duties, said: “Today’s announcement affirms what US manufacturers have long known: Chinese manufacturers have received unfair and WTO-illegal subsidies.”... [Read More]

[Indigo]

I think we need steep tariffs on ALL cheap foreign junk. A very high tarff on imports is the only thing that will ever bring jobs back to America.

[southerncannuck]

Originally Posted by Indigo

I think we need steep tariffs on ALL cheap foreign junk. A very high tarff on imports is the only thing that will ever bring jobs back to America.

I'm going to give you a big amen on that. American workers having to compete with rural Chinese labor is bad for all Americans.

[herm]

but what if the price advantage on solar cells is not cheap labor?.. it is a high tech item made largely on automated lines. Same with lithium-ion batteries.

Perhaps is a bloated bureaucratic mess of rules and regulations that makes business in the US expensive. I think Steve Jobs (before he died, not after) complained about the expense of setting up a new factory in the US compared to China.

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by herm

but what if the price advantage on solar cells is not cheap labor?.. it is a high tech item made largely on automated lines. Same with lithium-ion batteries.

Perhaps is a bloated bureaucratic mess of rules and regulations that makes business in the US expensive. I think Steve Jobs (before he died, not after) complained about the expense of setting up a new factory in the US compared to China.

Tariffs are more like shooting yourself in the foot to try and hurt the other guy.

[JusBringIt]

I would think it evens the playing field a bit with all the things we import from China. We are heavily indebted to that country and as long as there is poverty in the US, we can benefit from the increased productivity we would have here at home.

This will force the goods to be made here by Americans who are able to work for a living, yet do so by depending on welfare etc. Put those able bodied people to work. Set up programs to teach them how to do stuff (which many programs I'm sure are already in place), and do a student loan sort of thing, and collect the money as a percentage of their paychecks. giving them at least minimum wage. That's what minimum wage is there for. Once they paid whatever amount is sufficient to cover a reasonable cost, taxpayers debt can be reduced.

The tariff on the chinese goods is sort of like paying the "true" price. How clean is the technology used to make these parts? what's the true cost of transporting all those goods to the US? These are things we need to think about.

[ematzen]

Cheap goods from China, specifically everything sold at walmart, has proven to be a large economic stimulus, helping Americans buy more, have a higher quality of life, etc... That by far offsets the economic decline caused by the loss of manufacturing jobs in the US. I would be willing to say that the economic prosperity Americans felt in the 90s and early 00s was because of these cheap goods, coupled with loose lending policies to get us all in homes.

[JusBringIt]

Originally Posted by ematzen

Cheap goods from China, specifically everything sold at walmart, has proven to be a large economic stimulus, helping Americans buy more, have a higher quality of life, etc... That by far offsets the economic decline caused by the loss of manufacturing jobs in the US. I would be willing to say that the economic prosperity Americans felt in the 90s and early 00s was because of these cheap goods, coupled with loose lending policies to get us all in homes.

...and into a recession

[Kurz]

Originally Posted by southerncannuck

I'm going to give you a big amen on that. American workers having to compete with rural Chinese labor is bad for all Americans.

Fix the bad Regulations, High Taxes, etc... I bet we could compete just fine.
Tariffs like it was said earlier just shoots us in the foot.

[JusBringIt]

Originally Posted by Kurz

Fix the bad Regulations, High Taxes, etc... I bet we could compete just fine.
Tariffs like it was said earlier just shoots us in the foot.

American cost of living is not cheap. That would require an infrastructure overhaul. It's not impossible, but the likelihood is negligible.