Pakistan’s National Tariff Commission (NTC) has generated Rs40 billion through anti-dumping duties on the import of over 100 products in the last 25 years, Business Recorder learnt.
Operating under the Ministry of Commerce since 2000, the NTC enforces trade remedy laws to protect domestic industries from dumped and subsidised imports.
If a foreign company exports a product to Pakistan at a price (export price) lower than the price it normally charges on its own home market (normal value), it is said to be dumping the product.
Dumping can harm the domestic industry by reducing its sales volume and market shares, as well as its sales prices. This in turn can result in decline in profitability, job losses and, in the worst case, in the domestic industry going out of business, according to the NTC.
Meanwhile, anti-dumping is a measure to rectify the situation arising out of the dumping of goods and its trade distortive effect.
As per data provided by the NTC, the commission has conducted a total of 150 investigations into the cases of dumped imports since 2000. Out of the total, it imposed anti-dumping duties on as many as 114 cases, generating a revenue of Rs40 billion.
Details suggested that the NTC conducted the highest number of investigations at a total of 59 in chemical sector alone and imposed the duty in a total of 49 cases in the sector. Following this, the commission conducted 37 investigations of dumped steel imports and imposed the duty in 26 cases.
Speaking to Business Recorder, NTC Secretary Khizar Hayat said the commission is currently conducting 6-7 antidumping investigations relating to galvanised steel coils, aluminum beverage cans, paperboard, polyester filament yarn and BOPP self adhesive tape imported from China, UAE, Jordan and Sri Lanka.
The commission has conducted anti-dumping investigations and levied anti-dumping duties on dumped imports of products related to iron and steel, chemicals, paper and paper board, tiles, fibers, used textiles, pencil industry and others “that provided fair trading environment to the domestic industry and due to which domestic industry has expanded its capacities, or setup new plants which created more employment and increased their exports,” Hayat added.
Decisions of the NTC are appealable in the Anti-Dumping Appellate Tribunal (ADAT). Mostly importers also challenge NTC’s decisions in high courts and get stays.
During the months of February and March 2025, the ADAT disposed of 60 appeals of 148 importers involving antidumping duties imposed on polyester filament yarn, CRC (Cold Rolled Coil), PVC resin, galvanised steel coils and others.
The government of the exporting countries can also challenge NTC’s decision/imposition of antidumping duties at the World Trade Organization (WTO), Hayat explained.
The NTC also provides legal, technical guidance and assistance to exporters facing trade remedy action by other WTO members as well as advises the government on issues related to Pakistan’s industry competitiveness, promotion of exports and customs tariff rationalisation.
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