US lawmaker claims Trump looking for excuse to impose more tariffs on India

New York (The Uttam Hindu): Questions are being raised on US President Donald Trump regarding his tariff policy against India. US Congressman Brad Sherman has alleged that the Trump administration is looking for an excuse to impose additional tariffs on India and that India is being targeted separately. He has demanded the government to reconsider its policy. Recently, President Donald Trump had announced to reduce the tariff imposed on India to 18 percent.

Trump is looking for an excuse to impose more tariffs on India, US lawmaker makes a big claim : Sherman said, “President Trump is looking for an excuse to impose more tariffs on India.” He also said that the Trump administration is citing oil imports from Russia as the reason for this. According to him, Hungary imports about 90 percent of its oil from Russia and no tariff has been imposed on it. China, a major buyer of Russia, has also not been imposed any special sanctions for buying Russian oil, although it has been affected due to other reasons. The lawmaker said that India imports about 21 percent of its crude oil from Russia, yet it is being targeted. He demanded an immediate change in this policy from the President.

According to trade data, India's merchandise exports to the United States declined by 21.77 percent to $6.6 billion in January. Exports also declined in September, October, and December, while they increased by 22.61 percent in November. Imports from the United States rose by 23.71 percent to $4.5 billion in January, according to Commerce Ministry data.

The US had imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods from August 27. Later, an interim trade deal was agreed upon between the two countries, under which the 25 percent punitive duty on Indian goods was removed from February 7 and the retaliatory duty was reduced from 25 percent to 18 percent.

A new report on tariff policy has also raised questions. Earlier it was claimed that the burden of import duties would fall on foreign companies and governments, but the latest study found that about 90 percent of these duties were borne by American consumers and businesses. This conclusion has emerged from the analysis of economists associated with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. According to a report in USA Today, a study by the Tax Foundation released on February 6 estimated that in 2025, each American family would face an additional burden of about $1000, which could increase to $1300 in 2026.