Commerce's final countervailing, antidumping decision

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The U.S. Department of Commerce made its final decision in regard to newsprint tariffs. The tariffs will remain, but will be slightly reduced. President of the News Media Alliance made a statement in response to the decision, reminding people that while the decision is moving in the right direction, the effects of the tariffs will continue to harm the newspaper industry, but in a slower manner. He still holds out hope that the International Trade Commission will reverse the tariffs entirely when it makes its decision about the economic impact of the imports by the end of the month.

While the tariffs affect the newspaper industry, they also cause harm to book publishers and printing companies. Michael Makin, the president of Printing Industries of America, adds that consumers will still pay an increased price for paper products and companies will pay the price of less business. This will have a domino effect and harm paper manufacturers. 

The National Newspaper Association came out with a statement expressing similar disappointment in the decision, including that the reduced tariffs still endanger the local news industry. Thousands of others have protested the tariffs, which threaten the jobs of 600,000 Americans.

To read a study that details the future impacts of the tariffs, including a 30 percent increase in newspaper prices, read the full story here