The Government of Trinidad and Tobago says it has successfully secured a reduced tariff rate on its exports to the United States, following the conclusion of a Section 301 investigation by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
In a press release issued Friday, the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs clarified that Trinidad and Tobago has not been subjected to a 12.5 percent tariff by the US. Instead, the Ministry said, sustained engagement and proactive measures by the Government resulted in a reduction of the applicable tariff rate from 15 percent, set in August 2025, to the lowest applicable rate of 10 percent.
The US initiated the Section 301 investigation on March 12, 2026, examining 60 of its largest trading partners over their acts, policies and practices related to enforcing a ban on the importation of goods produced through forced labour. While the investigation was not specifically targeted at Trinidad and Tobago, the country was required to participate as one of the US’s top 60 trading partners.
On June 2, 2026, the USTR determined that the practices of all 60 investigated economies were unreasonable and proposed imposing tariffs of up to 12.5 percent on each country under investigation, with exemptions for certain goods. Public hearings on the proposed action were held from July 7 to 9, 2026.
The Ministry said the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs engaged in technical discussions with the USTR between May and July 2026, including in-person visits to the USTR’s Washington DC office on May 14 and July 16. Parliament also passed Act No. 16 of 2026 on June 12, amending Section 45 of the Customs Act to impose an outright prohibition on the importation of goods produced from forced labour, legislation piloted by Minister of Finance the Honourable Davendranath Tancoo.
On July 23, 2026, the President of the United States announced final tariff rates across the investigated economies. Trinidad and Tobago, along with countries including Argentina, Canada, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom, was placed in the lowest bracket, facing a 10 percent tariff rate. Other economies, including Australia, Brazil, the European Union and China, face a 12.5 percent rate, while Japan, Korea and Switzerland face rates of either 10 or 12.5 percent on certain products.
According to the Ministry, the decision to apply the lowest 10 percent rate to economies such as Trinidad and Tobago was based on action taken by those countries to prohibit the importation of goods produced from forced labour.
The USTR has also agreed to exempt several key products from Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world from the tariffs altogether. These include crude petroleum, anhydrous ammonia, urea and ammonium mixtures in solution, liquified natural gas, urea, and ferrous products from iron ore reduction (iron pellets).
The Ministry noted that these exempted products collectively constitute over 85 percent of Trinidad and Tobago’s exports to the US, meaning the vast majority of the country’s exports will attract a duty rate of 0 percent.
The Government credited the outcome to the direction of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, stating it had successfully mitigated increased tariffs on the country’s exports to the United States.