United States Proposes Fresh Tariffs on 60 Countries Including India

The United States on Tuesday (local time) proposed a fresh round of tariffs, including an additional duty of 10 per cent and 12.5 per cent on imports from key global economies, claiming investigations found goods from 60 countries were being produced using forced labour. 

The details were announced by the US Office of the Trade Representative (USTR) in a statement. The USTR identified 54 economies that it said had failed to impose and effectively enforce prohibitions on the import of goods produced through forced labour. 

The list includes Australia, China, India, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Russia,



Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkiye, the UAE and the United Kingdom.

According to the proposal, economies that already have some form of forced labour import prohibition, or have committed to implementing such measures through trade agreements, could face an additional tariff of 10 per cent. 

Other economies may be subjected to a 12.5 per cent additional duty. The proposed action also includes a textile mechanism that would allow a specified volume of apparel and textile imports from certain economies to enter the US at a reduced Section 301 tariff rate.