
New twist in Trump tariff policy can give India a breather
Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs against other countries come into effect may not be as menacing as it seems because there is little clarity on how the tariffs will be imposed and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has put a twist in Trump's policy. It seems the policy is a work in progress, and nobody is yet sure how it will take effect.
Reciprocal tariffs roughly mean hiking rates on imports to match the level that other countries apply to US products.
«If India, China, or any other country hits us with a 100 or 200 percent tariff on American-made goods, we will hit them with the same exact tariff. In other words, 100 percent is 100 percent.
If they charge us we charge them — an eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount,” Trump had said during his poll campaign last year.
Bloomberg Economics’ Maeva Cousin and Deutsche Bank’s George Saravelos are among those who found that India’s wide tariff differential with the US left it at particular risk of retaliation. The average rate that India charges US imports is more than 10 percentage points higher than US levies on Indian goods, according to Cousin’s analysis.
