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U.S. says still concerned about Russian car levy

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it still has concerns about a recycling fee Russia imposes on cars even though the country recently extended the levy to cover domestic as well as imported vehicles.

Russia joined the World Trade Organization only last year and a vehicle recycling fee, originally imposed only on foreign cars, was the subject of the first complaint filed against it under international trade rules.

In its first annual report to Congress on Russia's compliance with WTO commitments, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) noted Russia had moved to extend the fee to domestic manufacturers after complaints by the European Union, Japan and the United States.

"Some concerns remain, however, concerning the overall level and calculation of the fee," the USTR said in its report. "The United States will monitor the implementation of the new law to ensure its compliance with Russia's WTO commitments."

The levy is meant to cover the future cost of scrapping vehicles at the end of their useful lives.

The United States will also keep raising objections to Russia's ban on meat containing any residue of ractopamine, a feed additive used widely in the U.S. pork industry, the report said.

The USTR pointed to extra tariffs of more than 26 percent on imports of combine harvesters, the protection of intellectual property rights on the Internet and export regulations on ferrous scrap as other areas it was monitoring. (Reporting by Krista Hughes)