‘India not an ‘abuser’ of tariffs, Trump’s claims unfair,’ says think tank GTRI

GTRI defends India's import tariffs, highlighting US's high duties on various products, calling Trump's accusations unfair.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump's recent claim that India is an "abuser" of import tariffs is unfair as many nations including the U.S. 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 U.S. also imposes high duties on items like dairy products (188%); fruits and vegetables (132%); coffee, tea, cocoa and spices (53%); cereals and food preparations (193%); oilseeds, fats and oils (164%); beverages and tobacco (150%); fish and fish products (35%); minerals and metals (187%); and chemicals (56%).

These numbers demonstrate that the U.S. also protects specific products of its economy with high tariffs, GTRI said in a report.

While India does impose high tariffs on certain items, including wines and automobiles, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) argued that these figures do not represent the overall tariff landscape.

"Trump's argument singles out products with the highest tariffs while neglecting the average and trade-weighted tariffs that better represent India's trade policy," he said.

On September 17, Mr. Trump called India an "abuser" of import tariffs, a claim that echoed his October 2020 statement labelling India the "Tariff King".

"While it is true that India imposes high duties on select products, Trump's argument overlooks essential context, making his accusations unfair," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said, adding that many nations protect domestic industries by imposing significant tariffs on certain items.