Coalition welcomes importer certification move

The US-based Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports has welcomed a move by Congress to beef up the Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) with Canada.

Congress has included softwood lumber importer certification as part of the Farm Bill, which the coalition says will help ensure that Canadian timber exporters are paying export duties under the SLA.

The coalition says about US$50m of export taxes have not been collected to date.

Certification would require importers of foreign softwood lumber to certify that each shipment is consistent with the SLA and that any export tax will be paid.

“While the importer certification provisions will not solve all SLA compliance concerns, the legislation provides a critical means for the US government to enforce SLA export tax requirements," said Coalition chairman Steve Swanson.