The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on 60 US trading partners, including the European Union, China, India, Japan and the United Kingdom. The measures replace the temporary across-the-board 10% tariff imposed earlier, which expired on Friday.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative says the new tariffs are based on a months-long investigation into forced labour. According to its findings, the trading partners concerned have either failed to introduce adequate bans on imports of goods produced using forced labour or have failed to enforce the relevant rules effectively.
The Supreme Court had struck down previous Trump tariffs, ruling that the power to impose taxes rests with Congress.
Countries that have already adopted such bans, or have committed to doing so, are generally subject to the lower 10% rate. Other economies, including China, Japan and South Korea, face a 12.5% tariff. Certain product categories, such as steel, aluminium, specific energy products and fertilisers, are exempt because they are covered by separate tariff regimes.
The administration is invoking Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows trade countermeasures against foreign practices deemed unjustifiable or burdensome to US commerce. This legal basis is considered stronger than the one used for Trump’s previous tariffs, although further legal challenges remain possible.
The Supreme Court had struck down an earlier round of tariffs, ruling more specifically that emergency economic powers legislation did not grant the president sufficient authority to impose them.
Sources: Guardian, Le Monde
What is fyi.news?
