New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump’s recent claim that India is an “abuser” of import tariffs is unfair as many nations including America protect their domestic industries by imposing high customs duties on certain products, think tank GTRI said on Friday.
It said that according to WTO’s World Tariff Profiles 2023, the US also imposes high duties on items like dairy products (188 per cent), Fruits and vegetables (132 per cent), Coffee, tea, cocoa and spices (53 per cent), Cereals and food preparations (193 per cent), Oilseeds, fats and oils (164 per cent), beverages and tobacco (150 per cent), Fish and fish products (35 per cent), Minerals and metals (187 per cent), and Chemicals (56 per cent).
These numbers demonstrate that the US also protects specific products of its economy with high tariffs, GTRI said in a report.
GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava argued that India’s tariff practices are often misrepresented. While India does have high tariffs on select goods, its average tariff rate is 17%, comparable to other major economies like South Korea and China. Srivastava emphasized that both countries protect domestic industries with similar measures and accused Trump of selectively singling out India’s highest tariffs without considering its overall trade policy.
