India charging US over 100 per cent tariffs on many products, says Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that India charges America over 100 per cent tariffs on a large number of products while the US imposes nothing on the similar or same items. Trump said that he is urging his administration to work on the “stupid trade”. This came after he criticised India, saying it is one of the world’s “highest taxing nations”.

The US President has repeatedly claimed that India is a “tariff king” and imposes “tremendously high” tariffs on American products.

Addressing the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Saturday, Trump said: “We have a case where a certain country, India, is charging us... what great country, great friend, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi—charging us over 100 per cent for many things,” Trump had said.

The United States, he said, is charging India “nothing for similar or same” products.

In his speech, Trump indicated that he is receiving resistance from Senators for imposing reciprocal tariff on India.

He cited India as a country other than China which imposes high tariffs on American products.

India, he alleged, continues to wage “stupid trade” and unfair trade practices, and called out Prime Minister Modi for the trade imbalance with the US.

“I have Senators who say, you can’t do that. It’s not free trade. When did they come from? Where did they come from? It’s not free trade,” he said, ramping up his rhetoric against India’s trade and tariff policies.

He asked his senior administration officials to work on this.

“Will you please work on them? It’s the craziest thing. It’s stupid trade. We have so much stupid trade,” Trump said.

Early this year, at a White House event to announce his support for reciprocal tax, Trump had said he was satisfied with the Indian decision to reduce the import tariff on high-end Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 100 per cent to 50 per cent. "Even this is not enough, this is okay," he said at that time.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that India is a "tariff king" and imposes "tremendously high" tariffs on American products.

"I got a call from Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi of India. They're one of the highest taxing nations in the world. They taxed us 100 per cent," Trump said reiterating his often-heard remarks on the Indian tariff structure.

"They charge us 100 per cent tariffs on goods. So, they send a motorcycle--and they make a lot of them--Indian cycles. They send them to our country; we charge them nothing. We send a Harley Davidson to India and they charge us 100 per cent. Not fair, okay. Not reciprocal. It's not fair," Trump said.