Tunisia is at the top of a classification published by Business Insider Africa listing the ten African countries from which the United States could draw the greatest profit by establishing new customs rights.
This ranking is involved in the wake of a more offensive commercial policy recently adopted by Washington. This consists in applying an additional customs right called “reciprocal” on imports from certain business partners. The rate imposed for Tunisian products has been set at 28 %, a high level which places Tunisia in the 1st African row in the countries most affected by this measure.
According to Business Insider Africa, the United States could generate up to $ 313 million in additional customs income thanks to Tunisian imports, representing 0.38% of the total rights projected in the context of this policy. The country is followed by Madagascar ($ 290 million) and Côte d’Ivoire ($ 174 million).
The African top 10 potential customs profits for the United States
This custom customs tour strongly worries international institutions. In a recent report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has warned of the potential repercussions of this African economies policy, especially those which benefit from the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) program.
UNCTAD stresses that of the 57 countries referred to in this measure, 28 of them each represent only less than 0.1% of the American trade deficit. In other words, their contribution to the commercial imbalance in the United States is negligible, but the taxation of high customs duties could have devastating effects on their local economies, often fragile and dependent on exports to the American markets.
