Rates dropped for most countries, but that is more than offset by China’s massive increase.
Yesterday at 4:12 p.m. EDT
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would pause the elevated tariff rates set to kick in on imports from several dozen countries, setting import duties at 10 percent — less than half of what the White House initially planned in many cases.
Yet the average effective tariff rate the U.S. government charges on imports went up overall, after accounting for which countries trade with the United States and how much — because Trump also pushed the rate on imports from China to 145 percent.
A new analysis from the Budget Lab at Yale University found that rates mostly went down from countries Americans don’t buy as many imports from, which meant the sharp increase in taxes on imports from China — a major trade partner — was more than enough to drive the average up.
Of course, all of this is subject to change again. The new 10 percent rate for goods from most countries is effective for 90 days — and the White House says Trump wants to sign new, “bespoke” trade deals with each country before then.
Sources: Import data is for 2024 and is from the U.S. Census Bureau. Country tariff rates are from the White House and Washington Post reporting. Average effective tariff rates from the Budget Lab at Yale University.
Luis Melgar contributed to this report.
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