Trump lifts the 10 per cent tariff on Irish whiskey at the close of the Irish Open
US President Donald Trump used the close of a golf tournament at Doonbeg in Ireland to announce that he is removing the 10 per cent tariff on Irish whiskey, a rate cut from 15 per cent in July and identical to the standard duty on most imports from the European Union. Irish producers had been at a disadvantage since UK whiskey received a zero rate in April. The Irish Whiskey Association welcomed the move and pressed for zero-for-zero on all drinks exports; no date was given.
Economics & Markets··Night
A tariff announcement delivered with a golf trophy at Doonbeg
US President Donald Trump told the prize ceremony of the Irish Open, played at his own golf resort in Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland, that he is removing the 10 per cent tariff the United States applies to Irish whiskey. The announcement came on the 18th green, in the final hours of a two-day visit to Ireland. Trump said he had discussed the tariff with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Ireland's prime minister, and then declared that on behalf of the United States he was taking the tariffs off Irish whiskey; the crowd cheered.[1], [2]
The rate cut from 15 to 10 per cent in July now goes to zero
Irish whiskey has been paying the standard US tariff that applies to most imports from the European Union, a rate lowered from 15 per cent to 10 per cent in July. In April, Trump granted UK whiskey a zero rate. Whiskey made in the United Kingdom has since entered the US market duty-free, while whiskey distilled in the Republic of Ireland carried the 10 per cent charge, which left Irish producers at a disadvantage on the same shelves. Sunday's announcement promises to close that gap.[1]
Distillers press for zero-for-zero, and there is not yet a date
The Irish Whiskey Association, the trade body for Ireland's distillers, welcomed the announcement and pressed for a return to a zero-for-zero arrangement covering all drinks exports, under which neither side charges duty on the other's products. Trump gave no detail on when the tariff comes off. The pledge was made before the crowd at the Doonbeg ceremony, and for Irish producers the practical result still rests on a timetable that has not yet been announced.[1], [2]
