US proposes tariffing Brazil and 59 countries for failure to combat forced labor

The USTR (United States Trade Representative) proposed, in a document released on Tuesday night (2), the imposition of additional tariffs on products from Brazil and 59 other countries that had failed to take measures against the trade in goods derived from forced labor.

The US decision comes one day after the Trump administration's trade body suggested a 25% tax on all imports from Brazil.

In Tuesday's statement, the American government states that these countries fail to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the import of goods produced with forced labor.

"The failure of our most important trading partners to address the import of goods produced with forced labor is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic in which American workers are forced to compete globally on an unequal playing field," said Ambassador Jamieson Greer. "We will no longer tolerate this disparity. Some trading partners have already taken initial steps to prevent the import of goods produced with forced labor, including through the USMCA and commitments in Reciprocal Trade Agreements. However, each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not encourage and perpetuate forced labor globally."

As a result of these investigation findings, the US Trade Representative has proposed corrective action for public consultation.

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Source: CNN