The European Union has decided to extend anti-dumping tariff on leather-capped shoes from Vietnam, and China, for an additional period of 15 months till March 2011.
The decision was voted for by EU ministers on Tuesday in Belgium s Brussels City and will become valid from January 1, 2010.
Accordingly, the EU will levy a taxation rate of ten percent on Vietnamese leather shoes, and 16.5 percent on the commodity from China.
Deputy trade minister Le Danh Vinh said the duty extension would not only badly affect Vietnamese exporters but also the European consumers who are restricted from reasonable-price products.
The decision will also affect the legitimate interests of European businesses who are investing in Vietnam, he added.
The European Commission the legislative arm of the EU first imposed the tariffs in 2006 after European manufacturers complained that they were unable to compete against low-cost producers in China and Vietnam.
The governments of those Asian countries were providing unfair subsidies that lowered costs for domestic manufacturers, the European firms said.
