Over 50 countries want to negotiate customs duties with the US, says a white house counselor. “They understood that they would suffer”

More than 50 countries have contacted the US to start negotiations on customs duties, said the Economic Councilor of the White House, Kevin Hassett, AFP and Reuters reported.

US President Donald Trump announced customs duties on Wednesday consisting of a 10%basic tax, to which for dozens of countries are added additional customs duties depending on the taxation of the US and their commercial surplus in relations with the US. For example, for the products imported from the EU countries, the customs duties charged by the US will be 20%, and for those imported from 34%.

For steel, aluminum, vehicles and components of the automotive industry, the US customs duties are 25%. Trump's order provides for the exemption of several categories of products from the application of these customs duties, including oil, gas, other raw materials and semiconductors. On the list of the new customs taxes levied by the US, Russia, Belarus, Cuba and North Korea, strongly sanctioned countries and whose US trade is reduced, are not found.

The countries that have proposed negotiations “do this as they understand that they will suffer much of these customs duties,” said the Economic Councilor of the White House at the ABC post. He denied the theory that Trump imposed customs duties to collapse financial markets and thus cause the federal reserve to reduce the interest rate, also challenging the thesis that these new customs duties will mainly penalize the American economy. “I do not think we will see a major effect on consumers in the United States,” the presidential counselor appreciated.

But most economists expect these new taxes charged to the products imported into the USA to cause an acceleration of inflation and reduce consumption.

“There could be pricing increases,” however, counselor Kevin Hasset, however, emphasizing the objectives for which these customs duties were imposed, respectively the “correct treatment of the American workers”, their protection in the face of unfair competition, the diminution of the huge commercial deficit of the US and the re -industrialization of this country, which has lost the internalization and the liberalization encouraged companies to delocalize their production to lower-cost countries.

Asked why Russia is not on the list of taxed countries, Trump's economic counselor indicated for the ongoing discussions with Moscow and Kiev on the conclusion of the war in Ukraine. “I think the president made the decision not to mix the two issues,” but this does not mean that Russia will be treated differently, said Kevin Hasset.