WTO finds illegal subsidies for Boeing
Mar 12, 2012, 9:11 AM | Updated: 11:37 am
It’s a win, according to Boeing, because the $5-6 billion in subsidies the WTO found illegal is far lower than the $18 billion in illegal subsidies it found against rival Airbus last year.
A lot of the illegal aid Boeing received came from a federal tax-credit that no-longer exits. The rest is in research grants and other tax incentives.
“The ultimate objective, from the WTO’s standpoint, is to eliminate any on-going subsidies,” Boeing spokesman Tim Neale told MyNorthwest.com.
“If there’s something that has been ruled illegal and there’s an on-going benefit, that has to be addressed,” he said.
It’s all about leveling the playing field, according to Neale.
The ruling also found $14 million in tax incentives that Washington State has provided to Boeing are illegal.
