US Raises Tariffs on Egyptian Goods to 12.5%

The United States has increased tariffs on most Egyptian goods to 12.5% under a new US import-control framework linked to forced-labour prevention, replacing the previous 10% temporary surcharge.

The new tariff took effect for goods entering the US from July 24th, with a limited exemption for shipments that were already loaded and in transit before that date and cleared by July 28th, according to a notice issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

The USTR placed Egypt in the higher of two tariff tiers applied to 60 trading partners. According to the agency, the framework assesses whether countries have measures in place to prevent goods produced with forced labour from entering their domestic markets. The tariff can be applied regardless of whether specific exports are found to have been produced using forced labour.

The additional duty does not apply to certain product categories, including oil and gas, fertiliser, selected food products, aircraft and parts, critical minerals, and goods already covered by separate US national security tariffs, such as automobiles, steel, aluminium and copper.