The United States will begin imposing a 25 percent tariff on certain imports from Brazil following an investigation alleging that the country engaged in unfair trade practices.
The year-long investigation “found several Brazilian practices to be unreasonable and discriminatory, hindering the competitive position of American farmers, workers, inventors and exporters,” the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a social media post Wednesday night.
Imports of coffee, beef, and some ethanol products will not be exempt from the new duties, a senior administration official told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s official announcement. Ethanol will be subject to the new tax, however.
The tax will come into force on July 22, according to the official.
“Today’s action is necessary to address these unfair trade practices to ensure American workers and companies can compete on a level playing field,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement. “Detailed negotiations with Brazil over the past year have not resolved these issues, but we remain open to dialogue with Brazil to bring about long-needed changes to the problems identified in this investigation.”
The Brazilian government condemned the tariffs and said it would take measures to insulate its economy from their effects.
