US President Trump had announced the 15% hike on tariffs on Saturday, after formally announcing new 10% duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. Hours after the US Customs and Border Protection agency notified new 10 per cent global tariffs, the President Donald Trump-led administration said it is working to increase the levy to 15 per cent.
A White House official on Tuesday said that Trump has had “no change of heart” regarding his decision to impose a 15% tariff rate. The US President had announced the 15% hike on tariffs on Saturday, after formally announcing new 10% duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. These duties will replace the earlier tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 1977.
The White House official did not elaborate on the timeline for the notification of the hiked 15% tariffs, saying there was no further detail on that. The new tariffs come after the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, deemed the emergency tariffs under IEEPA to be illegal. In a notice described as intended to “provide guidance regarding the February 20, 2026 Presidential Proclamation”, the US Customs and Border Protection agency on Tuesday stated that aside from the exempted products, all imports would be “subject to an additional ad valorem rate of 10%.”
However, the lower rate, after the US President having announced hike tariffs from 10 to 15 per cent, has added to confusion around America’s trade policy. The Customs notice also did not clarify why the lower rate had been rolled out. A report by The Financial Times had earlier cited a White House official as saying that the increase up to 15 per cent would come later. Under Section 122, the maximum tariffs imposed can be 15 per cent, with the duty staying in place for 150 days, unless the US Congress decides to extend it.
The law allows the president to impose duties for to address “large and serious” balance-of-payments deficits and “fundamental international payments problems.” The US Customs started collecting the new tariffs around midnight, with the collection of earlier IEEPA tariffs being annulled.
