'Little reprieve' after US tariff ruling

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- SOMHATAI MOSIKA LAMONPHET APISITNIRAN

The issue of US tariffs is expected to intensify after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's decision to impose them, Thai exporters and economists say.On Friday, the US Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a lower court decision that Mr Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Power Act to impose retaliatory tariffs was unconstitutional. The court ruled the IEEPA does not grant authority to levy tariffs, which under the US Constitution is reserved for Congress.

The Supreme Court ruling applies only to the tariffs imposed under the IEEPA, which accounted for about half of all tariff revenue collected since new levies were imposed on dozens of trading partners last year.

The US has imposed a 19% reciprocal tariff on Thai goods since August 2025 with ongoing negotiations aimed at reducing the rate. Thailand has proposed purchasing certain American products such as aircraft, weapons, energy and agricultural goods in return for a potential decrease in tariffs.