What to know about Trump’s new tariffs on more than 80 countries

Even after the supreme court found that many of Trump’s tariffs were illegal, the administration has signaled they were determined to find an alternate solution to make tariffs permanent. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP View image in fullscreen Even after the supreme court found that many of Trump’s tariffs were illegal, the administration has signaled they were determined to find an alternate solution to make tariffs permanent. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Explainer What to know about Trump’s new tariffs on more than 80 countries Tariffs ranging from 10%-12.5%, taking effect on Friday, are US president’s latest effort to circumvent Congress Just before a temporary levy on global imports was set to expire, the Trump administration issued a fresh wave of tariffs on more than 80 countries late on Thursday, ranging from 10% to 12.5%. The new tariffs take effect Friday morning. It’s Donald Trump’s latest effort to continue imposing global levies without congressional approval, despite the supreme court ruling in February that found the US president had illegally used his executive power to implement his global trade policies. Trump has long maintained that the US has been paying more than its fair share in tariffs, and that increased duties are necessary to boost American manufacturing and jobs. Here’s what to know about Trump’s latest round of tariffs. Which countries are affected? The US’s largest trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and China, were included among the more than 80 countries that will face the latest tariffs. The United Kingdom, Australia, India and the 27 countries that make up the European Union will also be affected. All of these countries were investigated for their labor practices, according to the office of the US trade representative, who apparently determined whether they were effectively blocking goods that had been produced with forced labor from being imported to the US. How much will they have to pay? These countries will be subject to either a 10% or 12.5% duty. The trading partners that will be subject a 10% tariff are those who “have made commitments to adopt, and effectively enforce, forced labor import prohibitions”, said the US trade representative. This includes Canada, the European Union, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Those that have “failed to adopt a forced labor import prohibition”, including Australia, Brazil, China and Japan, will be subject to a 12.5% tariff rate. What did the supreme court decide on tariffs? In February, the supreme court ruled 6-3 that the 1977 law that Trump had invoked a year earlier was not a sufficiently legal justification for the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The law was designed to grant the president greater authority during a national emergency to regulate international trade, but the court said that the power to enact during times of peace belongs solely to Congress. “And they gave Congress ‘alone … access to the pockets of the people’,” the majority o