The Countervailing Duties Ordinance, 2015
Proposed and Moved By: Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan (Engineer; Minister of Commerce)
Status: Passed by The National Assembly
Summary: As a result of the challenges faced by the National Tariff Commission because of ambiguity in the Countervailing Duties Ordinance, 2001, which involved litigation in higher courts, Pakistan has had to counter embarrassment at the WTO forum. Therefore, the Countervailing Duties Ordinance, 2015, seeks to give effect to the WTO agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Duties in Pakistan. The Ordinance seeks to empower the National Tariff Commission in order for it to process an application against alleged subsidizing of a product and to impose appropriate countervailing duties.
The main objectives of The Countervailing Duties Bill, 2015, are as follows:
1. To prescribe the procedure for investigations and to specify the action that National Tariff Commission can take to counter the effects of subsidies extended by other countries;
2. To provide for alternative arrangement in contingencies for smoothly carrying out investigations and making determinations.
