The Government of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to clarify that Trinidad and Tobago has not been subjected to a 12.5 per cent tariff by the United States. On the contrary, following sustained engagement and proactive measures by the Government, Trinidad and Tobago has successfully secured a reduction in the tariff rate applicable to its exports to the United States, from 15 per cent in August 2025 to the lowest applicable rate of 10 per cent.
Under the direction and leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has successfully mitigated increased tariffs on Trinidad and Tobago’s exports to the USA.
On 12 March 2026, the United States of America initiated a Section 301 investigation into sixty (60) of its largest trading partners. These countries were investigated for their acts, policies, and practices related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
Section 301 of the United States Trade Act of 1974 allows the U.S. to investigate and respond to foreign trade practices that are unfair, discriminatory, or burden U.S. commerce. While the investigation was not specifically targeted at Trinidad and Tobago, the country was required to participate in the investigation as it falls within the top 60 of the United States’ trading partners.
On June 2, 2026, the USTR determined that the acts, policies, and practices of each of its sixty (60) top trading partners economies were unreasonable and proposed to determine in each investigation that action is appropriate under section 301 to obtain the elimination of the actionable acts, policies, and practices, including imposing ad valorem tariffs on all goods of each investigated economy, with exemptions for certain goods. The USTR further proposed to impose a tariff of up to 12.5% on each country under investigation.
The USTR subsequently invited comments by interested persons on its proposed actions and convened public hearings during the period July 07-09, 2026.
The public is informed that Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs participated in highly technical discussions with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) during the period May-July 2026, including with in-persons visits to the Office of the USTR in Washington DC on 14 May 2026 and 16 July 2026. In addition, via Act No. 16 of 2026, Parliament on 12 June 2026, approved an outright prohibition on the importation of all goods produced from forced labour through an Amendment to section 45 of Customs Act. This legislation was piloted by the Honourable Davendranath Tancoo, Minister of Finance.
On 23 July 2026 the President of the United States of America announced the following:
(i) the Trade Representative shall impose a tariff rate of 10 percent on all goods of Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and Trinidad and Tobago.
(ii) the Trade Representative shall impose a tariff rate of 10 percent or 12.5 percent on certain products from Japan Korea and Switzerland.
(iii) the Trade Representative shall impose a Tariff rate of 12.5 percent on all goods of all other investigated economies below:
The decision to apply the lowest rate of 10% on certain economies such as Trinidad and Tobago was based on action taken by countries to impose prohibitions on the importation of goods produced from forced labour.
In addition, the United States Trade Representative has agreed to exempt from the above tariffs, certain products from Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world including:
HS27090010-Crude Petroleum
HS28141000-Anhydrous Ammonia
HS 31028000-Urea, Ammonium Mixtures in Solution
HS27111100-Liquified Natural Gas
HS31021000-Urea
HS72031000 Ferrous Products From Iron Ore Reduction [Iron pellets]
Collectively these products constitute over 85% of Trinidad and Tobago exports to the USA which will attract a rate of duty of 0%.
The population is therefore advised that as a result of the proactive action taken by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, the lowest rate of 10% has been applied to Trinidad and Tobago’s exports to the United States of America which was originally set at 15% in August 2025.
