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What across-the-board tariffs could mean for the global economy

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has floated the idea of a 10% tariff on all US imports, a plan that economists say could badly damage trade

    • A universal tariff has the potential to deliver a devastating jolt to world trade, economists have warned.
    • A universal tariff has the potential to deliver a devastating jolt to world trade, economists have warned. PHOTO: NYTIMES
    Published Wed, Aug 28, 2024 · 06:16 PM

    FORMER president Donald Trump blames the global trading system for inflicting a long list of ills on the US economy including lost jobs, closed foreign markets and an overvalued dollar.

    The remedy, he insists, is simple: tariffs. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has repeatedly said he would raise tariffs if elected. China, a geopolitical and economic rival, would face an additional 50 or 60 per cent tariff on its exports to the United States. He has also floated the idea of a 10 per cent surcharge on exports from the rest of the world.

    Although smaller than the percentage proposed for Chinese exports, an across-the board tariff has the potential to deliver a much more devastating jolt to world trade, many economists warn.

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