The U.S. has imposed new tariffs of 10 and 12.5 per cent on goods from more than 80 countries, including Nigeria over alleged forced labour.
The new tariffs, which take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, replace a global 10 per cent duty imposed earlier by President Donald Trump and expires at midnight on Friday.
The new duties follow a five-month investigation into trading partners efforts to root out products made with forced labour from their supply chains, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) says.
The report of the investigation alleged that Nigeria and 53 other economies have failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
“The following 54 economies have failed to impose a legal prohibition on the importation of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labour and to effectively enforce such a prohibition,” the investigation report said.
The U.S. government said its investigations particularly found that Nigeria’s “failure to impose and effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition is unreasonable”.
“Findings of Investigation, in sections III.A.7 and III.B.7, USTR found that Nigeria has failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition,” the U.S. said.
“In section IV, we found that the failure to impose and effectively enforce a forced labor import prohibition is unreasonable.
“In section V, we found that the failure to impose and effectively enforce a forced labor import prohibition burdens or restricts U.S. commerce.
“For the foregoing reasons, the results of this investigation indicate that the acts, policies and practices of Nigeria related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition are unreasonable and burden or restrict U.S. commerce.”
The new tariffs, which will exempt oil and gas and fertiliser, followed the Supreme Court struck down in February of earlier duties President Donald Trump imposed last year.
The U.S. regretted that in spite of longstanding and universal agreement, forced labour continues to persist globally and has even increased in recent years, abetted by international trade.
Country/Territory Tariff (%)
Algeria — 12.5%
Angola — 12.5%
Argentina — 10%
Australia — 12.5%
Bahrain — 12.5%
Bangladesh — 10%
Brazil — 12.5%
Cambodia — 10%
Canada — 10%
Chile — 12.5%
China — 12.5%
Colombia — 12.5%
Costa Rica — 12.5%
Dominican Republic — 12.5%
Ecuador — 10%
Egypt — 12.5%
El Salvador — 10%
European Union — 10%
Guatemala — 10%
Guyana — 12.5%
Honduras — 10%
Hong Kong — 12.5%
India — 10%
Indonesia — 10%
Iraq — 12.5%
Israel — 12.5%
Japan* — 12.5%
Jordan — 10%
Kazakhstan — 12.5%
Kuwait — 12.5%
Libya — 12.5%
Malaysia — 10%
Mexico — 10%
Morocco — 12.5%
New Zealand — 12.5%
Nicaragua — 12.5%
Nigeria — 12.5%
Norway — 12.5%
Oman — 12.5%
Pakistan — 10%
Peru — 12.5%
Philippines — 12.5%
Qatar — 12.5%
Russia — 12.5%
Saudi Arabia — 12.5%
Singapore — 12.5%
South Africa — 12.5%
South Korea — 12.5%
Sri Lanka — 10%
Switzerland — 12.5%
Taiwan — 10%
Thailand — 12.5%
The Bahamas — 12.5%
Trinidad and Tobago — 10%
Turkey — 12.5%
United Arab Emirates — 12.5%
United Kingdom — 10%
Uruguay — 12.5%
Venezuela — 12.5%
Vietnam — 12.5%
(Partly based on NAN report)
