US publishers worry about pricier newsprint with new tariffs

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Recently imposed tariffs on Canadian newsprint are causing anxiety among U.S. publishers who say they’ll be forced to shut down or make further cuts in an industry already depleted by years of declining revenue.

The tariffs are a response to complaint to the U.S. Department of Commerce from a hedge-fund owned paper producer in Washington state. That company is arguing that its Canadian competitors are taking advantage of government subsidies to sell their product at unfairly low prices.

The tariffs imposed in January and increased in March are not permanent yet. But newspaper publishers say if the International Trade Commission decides to keep the tariffs it’ll be a devastating blow for newspapers already struggling to stay afloat.

The ITC is expected to make a decision in August or September.

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