Brazilian coffee, beef and tropical fruit will still be tariffed 40%, says Brazil's vice president

"By ELEONORE HUGHES RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said Saturday that Brazilian exported goods to the U.S. including coffee, beef and tropical fruits would still be tariffed 40%, despite President Donald Trump's decision to remove some import taxes. In a dramatic move on Friday, Trump scrapped levies announced in April on what he called Liberation Day' in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the U.S. economy."

"Alckmin said some products, such as orange juice, would now have a zero tariff as they were not targeted by the additional 40%. But that extra tariff remains in place on products including coffee, beef and tropical fruits, such as mangos and pineapples. While Brazil's vice president welcomed Trump's latest decision, which he called positive and a step in the right direction, he said there remained a distortion that needs to be corrected."

"Everyone got 10% less, but in Brazil's case, which had 50%, we ended up with 40%, which is very high, Alckmin told journalists in the capital Brasilia. Alckmin said that Friday's decision means that 26% of Brazilian goods are now entering the U.S. without additional tariffs. That's up from 23%. Trump's July decision, which was overtly political as Brazil has a trade deficit with the United States, led to the worst U.S.-Brazil relations in history."

Brazilian exported goods to the U.S. including coffee, beef and tropical fruits continue to face a 40% tariff despite some U.S. tariff removals. President Trump scrapped levies announced in April but an additional 40% imposed in July remains for many products. Some items such as orange juice now face zero additional tariff because they were not targeted by the extra duty. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin called the decision positive but said a distortion remains, noting Brazil ended up with a 40% rate versus others. The change raised the share of Brazilian goods entering the U.S. without extra tariffs from 23% to 26%.

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