Trump Imposes 12.5% Tariff on Dominican Republic Imports

• The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that it will impose a 12.5% tariff on imports from the Dominican Republic, part of a broader trade action affecting 60 countries and economies over what Washington says are insufficient efforts to combat forced labour.
• The new duty, announced by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will replace the temporary 10% global tariff that expires Friday, marking the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s trade policy.
• According to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, the tariffs follow investigations launched in March under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, which examined whether the affected countries’ policies related to preventing imports made with forced labour harmed U.S. workers and businesses.
• In Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador will face a 10% tariff, while Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic will be subject to a 12.5% duty. Tariff rates for other countries vary depending on the product and country of origin.
• The administration said the investigations concluded that the identified practices justified new trade measures. The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated most of Trump’s previous global tariffs, prompting the White House to rely on Section 301 as the legal basis for imposing new import duties.
• The latest tariffs are part of Trump’s broader trade agenda since returning to office in January 2025, using targeted measures to reshape U.S. trade policy and increase pressure on trading partners.

(Source: Dominican Today)