On 02 April 2025, US President Donald Trump unveiled reciprocal tariffs on more than One Hundred and Eighty (180) countries globally; with the Reciprocal tariff rate being applied to countries globally ranging from 10-50%.
Trinidad and Tobago’s exports to the United States and the rest of CARICOM’s exports (with the exception of Guyana) have been given the minimum discounted reciprocal base rate of 10%. This vastly differs from other rates applied to many countries globally which range from 10-50%.
It should be noted that some of Trinidad and Tobago’s largest export commodities to the United States (such as Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas) will NOT be subject to the Reciprocal Tariff. Items such as energy and other critical minerals that are not available in the United States have been exempted as outlined in Annex II of the President’s Executive Actions. A preliminary analysis by the Ministry of Trade and Industry reveals that approximately 47% of the total value of T&T’s exports to the United States will not be affected.
The United States is Trinidad and Tobago’s largest trading partner with the volume of trade between both countries being approximately TT$42 billion (US$6 Billion). As a consequence, any changes in trade policy must be carefully analysed. It should be noted that while particular imports into the United States from all countries have been made more expensive, Trinidad and Tobago’s exports have not been disproportionally disadvantaged as the lowest reciprocal tariff rate has been applied to this country.
Earlier this afternoon, the Minister of Trade and Industry met with Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, Chargé d’affaires and a team from the United States Embassy in Port of Spain. The T&T delegation included the Acting Permanent Secretaries of Trade, Finance and Energy and Energy Industries. Arising out of the meeting, both countries agreed to exchange trade information and engage in further dialogue to continuously review the tariff structure between both countries.
