The United States has begun collecting a 10% tariff, while the planned increase to 15% has not yet taken place. A new global tariff on imports to the U.S., set at 10% by President Donald Trump over the weekend, came into effect today. The move followed a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down Trump’s previous high tariffs adopted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
New Tariff Takes Effect After Court Ruling
Last Friday, just hours after the ruling was issued, the president signed an executive order establishing the 10% import surcharge. He subsequently threatened to raise the rate to 15%. However, he did not sign the relevant order to increase the rate before 12:01 a.m. Washington time (6:01 a.m. CET) today, when the 10% tariff officially took effect, Bloomberg reported.
The White House is working on a formal order that would raise the global tariff rate to 15%, a representative of the Trump administration told Bloomberg. No timeline has yet been set for implementing the higher rate, the official added.
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Legal Framework and Impact on the Average Tariff Rate
Under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, the president may impose new tariffs of up to 15% for a maximum period of 150 days. Any extension must be approved by Congress. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the sweeping tariffs imposed by President Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 were unlawful.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) halted the collection of tariffs imposed under IEEPA. This includes the tariffs Trump described as reciprocal, which were applied to imports from most countries worldwide, as well as tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China that he justified as a response to the smuggling of fentanyl or its precursor ingredients.
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According to a Bloomberg analysis, the U.S. average effective tariff rate stood at 13.6% prior to the court’s decision. After the cancellation of IEEPA-based tariffs and the introduction of the new blanket 10% levy, the average rate fell to 10.2%. If the new tariffs are raised to 15%, the average effective rate would reach 12.1%. In 2024, the average U.S. tariff rate was 2.3%.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Trump administration is also considering imposing new tariffs on several sectors on national security grounds. These tariffs would rely on Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which authorizes the president to impose duties on imports deemed a threat to national security. The potential duties could affect areas such as large-scale battery storage systems, plastic piping, metal fittings, industrial chemicals, and equipment for electrical and telecommunications networks.
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Source: ČTK
