Union Minister of Commerce and Business Piyush Goyal. File
| Picture Credit score: ANI
Whereas the Supreme Court docket of the USA has struck down the reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on varied nations, together with India, a number of different tariffs stay in place that proceed to harm varied sectors, commerce analysts and export knowledge present.
In a February 20 ruling, the Court docket held that Mr. Trump’s use of the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act to impose tariffs on different nations exceeded his authority as President, and so struck down the duties.
Nonetheless, Mr. Trump quickly introduced that the U.S. would impose a brief 150-day 10% baseline tariff on all imports from February 24 beneath Part 122 of the Commerce Act of 1974. This part of the Act empowers the President to “deal with sure elementary worldwide cost issues by way of surcharges and different particular import restrictions”, in line with a factsheet issued by the White Home.
Additionally learn: U.S. Supreme Court docket rejects tariffs LIVE
Impression on take care of India
Commerce analysts mentioned that the ruling would immediate nations that have already got commerce offers with the U.S. to reexamine them, and likewise referred to as for India to do the identical concerning its interim commerce settlement that’s but to be signed.
“The ruling invalidates country-specific ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and fentanyl-linked duties imposed on imports from main buying and selling companions,” Ajay Srivastava, founding father of think-tank World Commerce Analysis Initiative, mentioned. “The choice successfully renders current commerce offers initiated or concluded by the USA with the UK, Japan, the EU, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and India one-sided and ineffective. Accomplice nations could now discover causes to dump these offers.”
In an announcement issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Commerce and Business mentioned it had “famous” the U.S. Supreme Court docket’s judgement, however didn’t make clear what would occur to India’s interim settlement with Washington.
“We’ve famous the U.S. Supreme Court docket judgement on tariffs yesterday,” the assertion mentioned, including, “President Trump has additionally addressed a press convention in that regard. Some steps have been introduced by the U.S. Administration. We’re learning all these developments for his or her implications.”
Tariffs beneath Part 232 stay
The U.S. additionally has different tariffs in place, similar to these beneath Part 232 of the U.S. Commerce Enlargement Act of 1962.
“It will have to be seen how President Trump might nonetheless use different legal guidelines like Part 232 to boost/maintain tariffs for coated merchandise outdoors of this determination,” Krishan Arora, Accomplice and Oblique Tax and India Funding Roadmap Chief at Grant Thornton Bharat mentioned.
Underneath the Part 232 tariffs, the U.S. has imposed a 50% tariff on imports of metal and aluminium. These tariffs will stay, and knowledge exhibits they might proceed to have an effect on India.
Aluminium and metal exports, taken collectively, kind the fourth-largest group of exports for India to the U.S. Exports to the U.S. of these things fell almost 66% in December 2025, as per the newest commerce knowledge, in response to the tariffs.
‘De minimis’ tariffs additionally nonetheless stay
In August 2025, the U.S. suspended the ‘de minimis’ exemptions, which had granted imports of things valued at lower than $800 per particular person per day. This meant that the import of such objects—starting from textiles to toys, cosmetics, and digital equipment—would appeal to the country-specific duties primarily based on their origin.
Following the Supreme Court docket’s determination on February 20, Mr. Trump issued an govt order saying that he has decided “it’s nonetheless obligatory and acceptable to droop duty-free de minimis remedy… together with for shipments despatched by way of the worldwide postal community”.
This has an affect on India as a result of a lot of small exporters and e-commerce gamers used this de minimis path to ship objects to prospects within the U.S. on a duty-free foundation.
Revealed – February 21, 2026 05:19 pm IST
