New York/Washington: The White House has said India imposes a 100 percent tariff on American agricultural products, and the high levies charged by other countries make it “virtually impossible” for US products to be exported to those nations.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the high tariffs charged by India and other countries on American goods. He plans to roll out a set of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, which he says will be “Liberation Day” for the US.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said, “Unfortunately, these countries have been ripping off our nation for far too long, and they’ve made, I think, their disdain for the American workers quite clear.”
Leavitt stated that the high levies charged by other countries make it “virtually impossible” for US products to be exported to those markets. She added: “Unfortunately, these countries have been ripping off our nation for far too long, and they’ve made, I think, their disdain for the American workers quite clear.”
She went on to say that the US faces a 50 percent tariff from the European Union on its dairy products, a 700 percent tariff from Japan on its rice, a 100 percent tariff from India on agricultural goods, and approximately 300 percent from Canada on American butter and cheese.
Reiterating her stance, Leavitt said such high tariffs make it “virtually impossible” for US products to enter these markets and have forced many American businesses to shut down, putting citizens out of work for decades.
The press secretary declined to name the countries that will be impacted by the reciprocal tariffs, saying that Trump would make that announcement.
Trump’s stance on reciprocal tariffs
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the high tariffs imposed by India and other countries on American goods. His plan to roll out “reciprocal tariffs” on these nations is set to take effect on April 2, which, according to Trump, will be “Liberation Day” for the United States.
Earlier, on Monday (IST), Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that these tariffs would apply to all countries, without exception. The announcement has dampened India’s hopes, as the two nations had been negotiating tariff concessions under a proposed bilateral trade agreement. Trump, however, claimed that the US would be “generous” when imposing these duties.
Earlier this month, Trump had said these tariffs would be “temporary” and “small ones”, but the “predominant” tariffs, reciprocal in nature, would come into force on April 2 and would be a “big game-changer for our country”.
