US Slaps Higher 20% Tariff on PH Goods

US President Donald Trump released a fresh set of letters to trading partners on Wednesday, setting out tariff rates for six countries as Washington pushes to bring about a flurry of trade deals officials have promised.

- AFP, Alexis Romero, Pia Lee-Brago

WASHINGTON -

The letters, addressed to leaders of economies including the Philippines, Brunei, Algeria, Libya, and Iraq, spelled out duties ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent.

Citing what he described as Washington's "trade disparity" with Manila, Trump's decision to slap a 20 percent tariff on Philippine exports to the US prompted the Marcos administration to pursue negotiations aimed at forging a bilateral economic deal.

In a letter to President Marcos, Trump said the US has to move away from "long-term and very persistent trade deficits engendered by the Philippines' tariff and non-tariff policies and trade barriers." He argued that the relationship between the Philippines and the US has been "far from reciprocal."

"Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge the Philippines a tariff of only 20 percent on any and all Philippine products sent to the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs. Goods transshipped to evade a higher tariff will be subject to that higher tariff," Trump said in the letter dated July 9.

The new rate is higher than the 17 percent tariff that was supposed to be imposed on Philippine merchandise exports when Trump announced the policy last April. It was adjusted upwards despite earlier efforts by Philippine trade officials to meet with their US counterparts to relay the concerns of sectors to be affected by the tariff regime.