“Reciprocal taxes have come into force this evening at midnight on Wednesday, on Wednesday, announced on his social network Truth Social Social President Donald Trump. “Billions of dollars in customs duties are now flocking to the United States of America,” he added in a written message in capital letters.
These surcharges, which concern dozens of countries, replace that of 10% applied since April on almost all the products entering the United States.
While Switzerland was initially concerned by customs duties of 31%, the republican billionaire, denouncing a trade surplus of Switzerland of $ 39 billion, deemed too large, set the surcharge on August 1 after a phone with the president of the Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter.
Extraordinary session
The displacement of the last chance of a Swiss delegation led by Ms. Keller-Sutter Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington did not cause an influence of Donald Trump’s position. The high -level mission, which included in particular the Minister of the Economy Guy Parmelin, did not announce a concrete result after discussions with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
No details have filtered interviews with the delegation. It was a “very good meeting, a very friendly exchange and open to the common issues,” the president of the Confederation said to the SRF after the discussion, started around 4:15 p.m. and finished around 5:00 p.m.
The Federal Council announced on Thursday on the social network X an extraordinary session in the afternoon, after the return of the delegation of the United States.
She had gone away with the idea of presenting “an attractive new offer” to the American president so that he puts water in his wine, after the shock wave caused in Switzerland by the announcement of a 39%surcharge, in particular in the export industries such as those of machines, watchmaking or the food industry.
The surcharge is much higher than that imposed on the EU countries (15%) and higher than that suffered by the vast majority of countries, enough to make fear of a loss of competitiveness and employment reductions in Switzerland.
Pharmaceutical products
During the weekend, Mr. Parmelin had mentioned a few possible avenues on the Swiss side, such as the purchase of American liquefied natural gas (like concessions made by the EU in the United States) or more investments from large Swiss companies across the Atlantic, in order to obtain a more favorable agreement.
One of the great challenges of the Bras-de-Fer also relates to military aspects and pharmaceutical products. Trump criticizes the pharmaceutical multinationals, in particular Swiss, to “enrich themselves on the back of the American people” by selling their products in the United States much more expensive than elsewhere, a possible practice due to the absence of prices by the State. Donald Trump promised to lower the price of medicines in his country.
According to a source close to the discussions quoted Wednesday by the Reuters news agency, the United States government is pushing Switzerland to buy more American energy and defense products.
The entry into force of the 39% surcharge will have severe repercussions for the Swiss export industry and for employment in Switzerland, especially in the machinery, had warned the Federal Council on Friday. He estimates that almost 60% of Swiss property exports to the United States are likely to be struck by these additional taxes.