(a) Benefit—(1) In general. In the case of a loan, a benefit exists to the extent that the amount a firm pays on the government-provided loan is less than the amount the firm would pay on a comparable commercial loan(s) that the firm could actually obtain on the market. See section 771(5)(E)(ii) of the Act. In making the comparison called for in the preceding sentence, the Secretary normally will rely on effective interest rates.
(2) “Comparable commercial loan” defined—(i) “Comparable” defined. In selecting a loan that is “comparable” to the government-provided loan, the Secretary normally will place primary emphasis on similarities in the structure of the loans (e.g., fixed interest rate v. variable interest rate), the maturity of the loans (e.g., short-term v. long-term), and the currency in which the loans are denominated.
(ii) “Commercial” defined. In selecting a “commercial” loan, the Secretary normally will use a loan taken out by the firm from a commercial lending institution or a debt instrument issued by the firm in a commercial market. Also, the Secretary will treat a loan from a government-owned bank as a commercial loan, unless there is evidence that the loan from a government-owned bank is provided on non-commercial terms or at the direction of the government. However, the Secretary will not consider a loan provided under a government program, or a loan provided by a government-owned special purpose bank, to be a commercial loan for purposes of selecting a loan to compare with a government-provided loan.
(iii) Long-term loans. In selecting a comparable loan, if the government-provided loan is a long-term loan, the Secretary normally will use a loan the terms of which were established during, or immediately before, the year in which the terms of the government-provided loan were established.
(iv) Short-term loans. In making the comparison required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, if the government-provided loan is a short-term loan, the Secretary normally will use an annual average of the interest rates on comparable commercial loans during the year in which the government-provided loan was taken out, weighted by the principal amount of each loan. However, if the Secretary finds that interest rates fluctuated significantly during the period of investigation or review, the Secretary will use the most appropriate interest rate based on the circumstances presented.
(3) “Could actually obtain on the market” defined—(i) In general. In selecting a comparable commercial loan that the recipient “could actually obtain on the market,” the Secretary normally will rely on the actual experience of the firm in question in obtaining comparable commercial loans for both short-term and long-term loans.
(ii) Where the firm has no comparable commercial loans. If the firm did not take out any comparable commercial loans during the period referred to in paragraph (a)(2)(iii) or (a)(2)(iv) of this section, the Secretary may use a national average interest rate for comparable commercial loans.
(iii) Exception for uncreditworthy companies. If the Secretary finds that a firm that received a government-provided long-term loan was uncreditworthy, as defined in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, the Secretary normally will calculate the interest rate to be used in making the comparison called for by paragraph (a)(1) of this section according to the following formula:
ib = [(1 − qn)(1 + if)
n / (1 − pn)]1/n − 1,
where:
n = the term of the loan;
ib = the benchmark interest rate for uncreditworthy companies;
if = the long-term interest rate that would be paid by a creditworthy company;
pn = the probability of default by an uncreditworthy company within n years; and
qn = the probability of default by a creditworthy company within n years.
“Default” means any missed or delayed payment of interest and/or principal, bankruptcy, receivership, or distressed exchange. For values of pn, the Secretary will normally rely on the average cumulative default rates reported for the Caa to C-rated category of companies in Moody's study of historical default rates of corporate bond issuers. For values of qn, the Secretary will normally rely on the average cumulative default rates reported for the Aaa to Baa-rated categories of companies in Moody's study of historical default rates of corporate bond issuers.
(4) Uncreditworthiness—(i) In general. The Secretary will consider a firm to be uncreditworthy if the Secretary determines that, based on information available at the time of the government-provided loan, the firm could not have obtained long-term loans from conventional commercial sources. The Secretary will determine uncreditworthiness on a case-by-case basis, and may, in appropriate circumstances, focus its creditworthiness analysis on the project being financed rather than the company as a whole. In making the creditworthiness determination, the Secretary may examine, among other factors, the following:
(A) The receipt by the firm of comparable commercial long-term loans;
(B) The present and past financial health of the firm, as reflected in various financial indicators calculated from the firm's financial statements and accounts;
(C) The firm's recent past and present ability to meet its costs and fixed financial obligations with its cash flow; and
(D) Evidence of the firm's future financial position, such as market studies, country and industry economic forecasts, and project and loan appraisals prepared prior to the agreement between the lender and the firm on the terms of the loan.
(ii) Significance of long-term commercial loans. In the case of firms not owned by the government, the receipt by the firm of comparable long-term commercial loans, unaccompanied by a government-provided guarantee, will normally constitute dispositive evidence that the firm is not uncreditworthy.
(iii) Significance of prior subsidies. In determining whether a firm is uncreditworthy, the Secretary will ignore current and prior subsidies received by the firm.
(iv) Discount rate. When the creditworthiness of a firm is considered in connection with the allocation of non-recurring benefits, the Secretary will rely on information available in the year in which the government agreed to provide the subsidy conferring a non-recurring benefit.
(5) Long-term variable rate loans—(i) In general. In the case of a long-term variable rate loan, the Secretary normally will make the comparison called for by paragraph (a)(1) of this section by relying on a comparable commercial loan with a variable interest rate. The Secretary then will compare the variable interest rates on the comparable commercial loan and the government-provided loan for the year in which the terms of the government-provided loan were established. If the comparison shows that the interest rate on the government-provided loan was equal to or higher than the interest rate on the comparable commercial loan, the Secretary will not consider the government-provided loan as having conferred a benefit. If the comparison shows that the interest rate on the government-provided loan was lower, the Secretary will consider the government-provided loan as having conferred a benefit, and, if the other criteria for a countervailable subsidy are satisfied, will calculate the amount of the benefit in accordance with paragraph (c)(4) of this section.
(ii) Exception. If the Secretary is unable to make the comparison described in paragraph (a)(5)(i) of this section or if the comparison described in paragraph (a)(5)(i) of this section would yield an inaccurate measure of the benefit, the Secretary may modify the method described in paragraph (a)(5)(i) of this section.
(6) Allegations—(i) Allegation of uncreditworthiness required. Normally, the Secretary will not consider the uncreditworthiness of a firm absent a specific allegation by the petitioner that is supported by information establishing a reasonable basis to believe or suspect that the firm is uncreditworthy.
(ii) Government-owned banks. The Secretary will not investigate a loan provided by a government-owned bank absent a specific allegation that is supported by information reasonably available to petitioners indicating that:
(A) The loan meets the specificity criteria in accordance with section 771(5A) of the Act; and
(B) A benefit exists within the meaning of paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(b) Time of receipt of benefit. In the case of loans described in paragraphs (c)(1), (c)(2), and (c)(4) of this section, the Secretary normally will consider a benefit as having been received in the year in which the firm otherwise would have had to make a payment on the comparable commercial loan. In the case of a loan described in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, the Secretary normally will consider the benefit as having been received in the year in which the firm receives the proceeds of the loan.
(c) Allocation of benefit to a particular time period—(1) Short-term loans. The Secretary will allocate (expense) the benefit from a short-term loan to the year(s) in which the firm is due to make interest payments on the loan. In no event may the present value (in the year of receipt of the loan) of the amounts calculated under the preceding sentence exceed the principal of the loan.
(2) Long-term fixed-rate loans with concessionary interest rates. Except as provided in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, the Secretary normally will calculate the subsidy amount to be assigned to a particular year by calculating the difference in interest payments for that year, i.e., the difference between the interest paid by the firm in that year on the government-provided loan and the interest the firm would have paid on the comparison loan. However, in no event may the present value (in the year of receipt of the loan) of the amounts calculated under the preceding sentence exceed the principal of the loan.
(3) Long-term fixed-rate loans with different repayment schedules—(i) Calculation of present value of benefit. Where the government-provided loan and the loan to which it is compared under paragraph (a) of this section are both long-term, fixed-interest rate loans, but have different grace periods or maturities, or where the shapes of the repayment schedules differ, the Secretary will determine the total benefit by calculating the present value, in the year that repayment would begin on the comparable commercial loan, of the difference between the amount that the firm is to pay on the government-provided loan and the amount that the firm would have paid on the comparison loan. In no event may the total benefit calculated under the preceding sentence exceed the principal of the loan.
(ii) Calculation of annual benefit. With respect to the benefit calculated under paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, the Secretary will determine the portion of that benefit to be assigned to a particular year by using the formula set forth in § 351.524(d)(1) and the following parameters:
Ak = the amount countervailed in year k,
y = the present value of the benefit (see paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section),
n = the number of years in the life of the loan,
d = the interest rate on the comparison loan selected under paragraph (a) of this section, and
k = the year of allocation, where the year that repayment would begin on the comparable commercial loan = 1.
(4) Long-term variable interest rate loans. In the case of a government-provided long-term variable-rate loan, the Secretary normally will determine the amount of the benefit attributable to a particular year by calculating the difference in payments for that year, i.e., the difference between the amount paid by the firm in that year on the government-provided loan and the amount the firm would have paid on the comparison loan. However, in no event may the present value (in the year of receipt of the loan) of the amounts calculated under the preceding sentence exceed the principal of the loan.
(d) Treatment of outstanding loans as grant after three years of no payments of interest or principal. With the exception of debt forgiveness tied to a particular loan and contingent liability interest-free loans, addressed in § 351.508 and paragraph (e) of this section, the Secretary will normally treat a loan as a grant if no payments on the loan have been made in three years unless the loan recipient can demonstrate that nonpayment is consistent with the terms of a comparable commercial loan it could obtain on the market, or the payments on the loan are consistent with the terms of the loan contract.
(e) Contingent liability interest-free loans—(1) Treatment as loans. In the case of an interest-free loan, for which the repayment obligation is contingent upon the company taking some future action or achieving some goal in fulfillment of the loan's requirements, the Secretary normally will treat any balance on the loan outstanding during a year as an interest-free, short-term loan in accordance with paragraphs (a), (b), and (c)(1) of this section. However, if the event upon which repayment of the loan depends will occur at a point in time more than one year after the receipt of the contingent liability loan, the Secretary will use a long-term interest rate as the benchmark in accordance with paragraphs (a), (b), and (c)(2) of this section. In no event may the present value (in the year of receipt of the contingent liability loan) of the amounts calculated under this paragraph exceed the principal of the loan.
(2) Treatment as grants. If, at any point in time, the Secretary determines that the event upon which repayment depends is not a viable contingency, the Secretary will treat the outstanding balance of the loan as a grant received in the year in which this condition manifests itself.
[63 FR 65407, Nov. 25, 1998, as amended at 89 FR 20840, Mar. 25, 2024]