Economy US Imposes 19% Tariff on Thailand in Major Trade Shift

[spidermike007]

Trump the Taco. A new tariff plan weekly. Nice. Real stability. Just what the world economy wants. 

 

 

[impulse]

5 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Ever heard of Red Bull?

 

Every time I've bought Red Bull outside of Thailand, it's bottled (canned?) in country, not imported from Thailand.

 

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, Felton Jarvis said:

This is insane. What do they hope to accomplish?

"They" want to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the USA.  Labor costs and electricity are too high there, unlikely.

 

Devaluing the USD is another strategy. Imports are more expensive, exports are cheaper. That also results in capital flight and increased interest rates on the burden of debt.

 

Ultimately, though, it's about tax cuts for the wealthy and Social Service cuts for the poor.

 

It reminds me of a clown with a dozen spinning plates on sticks, hurrying back and forth to keep the plates from falling off.

 

 

[Hakuna Matata]

Yes, Thailand 19%

 

This is not the worst case scenario.

 

Of course, 15% would have been better.

 

The China tariff remains at 55%, doesn't it?

 

Will Cambodia become a transshipment hub for the Chinese goods to be shipped to the US?

 

Maybe, Singapore is better for this purpose, with only 10% of Trump's tariff?

 

It remains to bee seen!

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Initially, Thailand faced a steep 36% tariff beginning 2nd April 2025, which triggered intense negotiations over the past three months. During deliberations, Thailand steadfastly maintained limited access for US products, contrasting with Vietnam, which accepted a 20% tariff while opening its markets entirely

And if Thailand start handing out subsidies to certain companies that export to USA they could/should go back up again.

[Hakuna Matata]

31 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Exporting powerhouses...  Beer, local cell service and a bank...

 

 

Howard Lutnick and Donald Trump are concerned about tilapia and shrimps from Thailand being imported into United States  at dumping price undermining local US farmers business.

[impulse]

4 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

 

Howard Lutnick and Donald Trump are concerned about tilapia and shrimps from Thailand being imported into United States  at dumping price undermining local US farmers business.

 

Possibly.  Among quite a few other trade barriers, spelled out in the NTE Reports put out by the USTR every year.

 

USTR Releases 2025 National Trade Estimate Report | United States Trade Representative

 

2025NTE.pdf

 

https://ustr.gov/

[NanLaew]

4 hours ago, KhaoHom said:

I can't think of anything that US needs from one particular county outside of rare earth minerals - can you?

 

That's about right. You can't think of anything but those doing the 21 million jobs in the US that are dependent on US imports probably can.

 

A quick squiz at the internet reveals that your Fatherland needs refined and crude oil, lumber, gold, aluminium, coffee, automobiles, broadcast equipment, computers and packaged medication. Go figure.

[tomazbodner]

14 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

That's about right. You can't think of anything but those doing the 21 million jobs in the US that are dependent on US imports probably can.

 

A quick squiz at the internet reveals that your Fatherland needs refined and crude oil, lumber, gold, aluminium, coffee, automobiles, broadcast equipment, computers and packaged medication. Go figure.

And toilet paper. Don't forget the toilet paper...

[John Drake]

38 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

The China tariff remains at 55%, doesn't it?

 

I thought I saw the China tariff at 30 percent. Canada got 35.

[vangrop]

One simple example:

Eau de Toilette 100 ml "Miracle Lancome" cost:

 

- Belgium usual shop: 165€

- Brussels airport tax-free: 135€

- Doha airport tax-free: 120€

- Pattaya Centrel Festival: 190+€ due to import taxes

 

When I walk through the huge parfume department of Central  Festival in Pattaya I never see one customer buying goods. The place is full of vendors at every corner. Many peple are taking that entrance to get inside the mall, fresh and nice smelling experience. A farang would do the same as me buy abroad in tax free except in case of emergency of course.  if he had to offer Tirak a nice present to pardon him joking mia noi. I also don't see the usual Somchai buying that. 

So why, I just think it is a kind of brand name advert investment from those big luxurious companies.

 

Now this, if the Thai government lowered these import at reasonable level I would buy locally to avoid the hurdle of transport control aso. I am sure normal local taxes would offer Thailand Income a very nice benefit instead of almost none. But need it to be repeated the lack of logical thinking of those in charge.

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

Exporting powerhouses...  Beer, local cell service and a bank...

 

Quite a bit more: https://www.worldstopexports.com/thailands-top-10-exports/ 

 

1. Electrical machinery, equipment: US$51.1 billion (17.1% of total exports)
2. Machinery including computers: $47.6 billion (15.9%)
3. Vehicles: $33.6 billion (11.2%)
4. Rubber, rubber articles: $19.2 billion (6.4%)
5. Gems, precious metals: $18.3 billion (6.1%)
6. Plastics, plastic articles: $13.3 billion (4.4%)
7. Mineral fuels including oil: $10.2 billion (3.4%)
8. Meat/seafood preparations: $7 billion (2.3%)
9. Fruits, nuts: $6.6 billion (2.2%)
10. Cereals: $6.5 billion (2.2%)

 

[wensiensheng]

7 hours ago, impulse said:

 

So, what you're saying is that Thailand's 200%+ tax and tariffs on US autos has no effect on whether Thais would buy a Ford F250 instead of a more expensive locally made toy truck?

 

Left hand drive on an F250 might make them think a bit.

[vivananahuahin]

What will happen when they will be a member of the BRICS?

[wensiensheng]

Anyway, this is just this week. It could be something else next week because these tariffs are set according to Trump’s whims and they change with the wind. 
 

But, so far, so good….i guess. 🤷‍♂️

[davb]

This news made the Thai baht weaker to the US dollar. Does this reflect the people think Thailand will be hurt by this, such as by losing the transshipments, or is it because the US dollar is stronger due to a favorable trade deal being accomplished?

[newbee2022]

In return they have to stop all clashes. NOW.

[Reddavy]

6 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Thai drivers don't need any F-250's, Silverado's or ANY of those overrated hay wagons, but they will probably like the Tundra's.

 

Me? I would take a Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel crew cab dually in a heartbeat.

So you like 💩 transport. All yank cars are crap

[impulse]

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

Left hand drive on an F250 might make them think a bit.

 

There are companies that do RHD conversions, mostly for the European (and UK?) markets.  They're not cheap, but they aren't even close to x3.

 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Reddavy said:

So you like 💩 transport. All yank cars are crap

 

#2 all time best selling vehicle...  Your disdain for all things Yank is noted.  Reminds me of arguments we had back in the 7th grade about which car was best.  Of course, we had no clue, having never actually driven anything.

 

 

Personally, I've become a fan of Toyotas.  But Ford trucks can often go 500K miles.

 

[Globalres]

2 hours ago, vangrop said:

One simple example:

Eau de Toilette 100 ml "Miracle Lancome" cost:

 

- Belgium usual shop: 165€

- Brussels airport tax-free: 135€

- Doha airport tax-free: 120€

- Pattaya Centrel Festival: 190+€ due to import taxes

 

When I walk through the huge parfume department of Central  Festival in Pattaya I never see one customer buying goods. The place is full of vendors at every corner. Many peple are taking that entrance to get inside the mall, fresh and nice smelling experience. A farang would do the same as me buy abroad in tax free except in case of emergency of course.  if he had to offer Tirak a nice present to pardon him joking mia noi. I also don't see the usual Somchai buying that. 

So why, I just think it is a kind of brand name advert investment from those big luxurious companies.

 

Now this, if the Thai government lowered these import at reasonable level I would buy locally to avoid the hurdle of transport control aso. I am sure normal local taxes would offer Thailand Income a very nice benefit instead of almost none. But need it to be repeated the lack of logical thinking of those in charge.

 

 

I agree with you.  It would be more convenient to buy “at home”, but with those import duties I refuse to buy “at home” in Thailand.  I plan my consumption of any so called “luxury goods” to coincide with overseas trips.  As you well pointed out, even in the stores overseas,  incl. local taxes the same goods are much less expensive than here.

[JackGats]

9 hours ago, Peter Crow said:

You won't get Germans to buy rubbish US cars. Or risk their lives in Boeings.

 

 

Euh, what about this then: "In late 2023, the Lufthansa Group placed orders for around 40 Boeing 737 MAX jets, and it was widely speculated within aviation circles that the group might allocate some MAX aircraft to its subsidiaries, including Austrian Airlines"

 

Unfortunately, Airlines put fuel efficiency before safety.

[transam]

8 hours ago, KhaoHom said:

 

Thailand is not a developing country. It's arguably been in decline for decades. It's a kleptocracy that guards it's markets (as the vast majority of nations). A tired, relic of the 20c...

 

Export driven economies are getting wake up call.

 

The US owes nothing to export driven, product dumping countries.

 

Protect away lol. See where that goes. 🤷‍♂️👍

How long have you lived here, or do you actually live here, to make such a daft statement............🙄

[lellebjorklund]

I wonder if the 10% additional tariff that they said was going to hit BRICS countries and their partner countries are included in those 19%?

If not I'll suppose it could go up to 29% at any time 

[Zapitapi]

this is "the wanna be emperor" imposing its will... nada will happen..i like trumpy baby personally he is funny... but he has zero clue of what he is doing... trade deficits are normal and nothing you base tariffs on...e.g. you go to 7/11 here and buy something..do 7/11 need to buy something from u now ? its a simple example but it is not deficits but protection that is needed therefore tariffs have their place...US admin tries to bend the world to its will... the world: hold my beer and F off

 

i am sorry for the peeps in the USA..

 

eh eh but trump made soooo many deals... yes did he? where? its all talk  700 bil LNG/energy sales over 3 years to the EU..hahahahahah there isnt enough energy to export..on top of it 100bil energy export to japan.. and that is just ONE of his blunders...

 

your president treats other countries as of he would treat a supplier that NEEDS him in construction... this isnt the case internationally.. e.g. china trades 3.1% of its GDP with the states...with 7.2% growth..a drop in the bucket really

 

its actually so crazy that i cant believe what i see

 

its a pity that he gets played but not for him he is a big boy and need to be able to take it but YOU the US citizens... not so much.. 

 

remember a few month back ..135% china tariffs... china said f-off... oh <deleted> trump back paddled in a jiffy

 

the bottom line is that the US of A is living in the past ..40-30 years ago this might maybe under circumstances would have worked but today the US is a 3rd world country

 

1 no supply chain 2 no edu at scale 3 everything 10x more expensive (not really 10x for everything but not good) 4 the military is broken... 25% of the air defence capability has been exhausted in 12 days ..USA and ISRAEL gave it their best and could not hold off irans missiles... now iran is far below china and espacially russias capabilities

 

USA... make friends not enemies... hugs and all the best to the peeps of the US

[malibukid]

9 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

And it will continue, until you start accounting for services - there isn't so much imbalance when you stop looking at physical products only, and look at the services.

What happens if other countries started slapping tariffs on services like Google, Microsoft's Office or Azure access, Amazon Web Services, Meta, Visa/MasterCard backend services, AI processing in cloud or cloud storage and transfer services, etc.?

 

But if you don't look at services, then there will always be imbalance. US produces mainly just agricultural stuff and little else, as most of the rest having already been outsourced to China due to cost cutting to lower manufacturing costs and increase corporate profits, basically driven by greed. Other local manufacturers couldn't compete on price and were forced to follow suit. But still, that accounts only for. physical products. What about everything else? That's where US is one of, if not the biggest exporter of what other countries aren't taxing at all.

 

Google (OK, Alphabet) didn't become one of the biggest companies on the planet for manufacturing Pixel phones. Microsoft doesn't make nearly any money out of Windows and Office boxes sold at shops and online, or their Surface tablets and laptops. Nearly all their revenue comes from services.

 

But nobody is talking about this and only focuses on physical stuff made in factories? That's so 1950.

U.S. makes good military stuff.

[Airalee]

5 hours ago, impulse said:

But does Toyota make a full size truck in Thailand?

 

You can get a Tundra for ฿6,790,000

 

I’d take a Tundra over any American truck if the price was equal.   But if a Dodge RAM or Ford F250 could be had for ฿2,500,000 (double the price of the most expensive Hi-Lux), there wouldn’t be any question.  I’ll take the American truck.

 

 

[Zapitapi]

3 hours ago, vivananahuahin said:

What will happen when they will be a member of the BRICS?

that will make thailand more secure and open more trade within brics..the tariffs will be gone again ..i bet in 3-6 month its different again... remember trade does NOT depend on price so much but rather on stability.. when tariffs ar ever changing you as a business owner do not invest or sign contracts as contracts could sink you if the tariffs change again.. and they will 

[kuma]

10 hours ago, KhaoHom said:

It will be interesting to see if Thailand honors the terms. It's not always simply a tarrif issue. There are many barriers to markets ... indirect barriers must come down and goods must flow in - this was clearly stated to all nations.

 

Thailand, Germany, Korea, Japan ....

Will be more interesting when we all are blessed tosee the back of america - stay there, trade with yourself - 50 states, and fully self sufficient - you will just roll over neighbours to take what you want if not...but the rest of us are blessed by that big pond...no one needs what america has and, finally enough people are waking up to they do not even need what america has...let the seperation continue, faster please

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Reddavy said:

So you like 💩 transport. All yank cars are crap

 

The Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel crew cab dually isn't a car.