WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A US trade panel on Thursday gave final approval to punitive duties on billions of plastic shopping bags made in Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The US International Trade Commission voted 5-1 that low-priced imports from the three countries threatened to injure US producers.

The Commerce Department will now issue anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on bags from Vietnam and anti-dumping orders on bags from Indonesia and Taiwan.

US shoppers used about 14.6 billion bags valued at $186 million from the three Asian countries.

Seventeen domestic firms in 18 US states made about 983 million of the bags during the same year.

The case was brought by Hilex Poly Co LLC of Hartsville, South Carolina and Superbag Corp of Houston, Texas.

The Commerce Department has set countervailing duties ranging up to 4.24 per cent on bags from Vietnam to negate government subsidies and anti-dumping duties ranging up to 76.11 per cent to offset below-market prices.

The department has set anti-dumping duties ranging from 36.54 per cent to 95.81 per cent on bags from Taiwan and anti-dumping duties of 67.62 per cent on bags from Indonesia.