New Delhi: As soon as Donald Trump assumed the office of US President again, a new phase of bitterness and tension has started in the trade relations between India and America. The dispute over tariffs has escalated to such an extent that a major trade deal between the two countries is completely hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, the new book ‘Regime Change’ by veteran New York Times journalists has created a big storm in the corridors of American power. It has been revealed in this book that Trump got so upset after seeing the official figures of Indian tariffs that he scolded his own minister.
Trump angry over government records, classed the minister
According to the book ‘Regime Change’, this entire controversy started when US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick presented to President Trump an official description of the tax imposed by India on American goods. As soon as Trump saw the figures, he lost his temper and got furious at Lutnik. Trump abused these official records and termed them as complete ‘nonsense’ and false. Trump firmly believed that India collected far more taxes than the figures shown in government files and was actually imposing huge tariffs of at least 175 percent on American goods.
What does the White House fact sheet say?
Even though President Trump is claiming to impose 175 percent tax on India. But the official fact sheet of the White House itself does not match this claim. According to the documents of the India-US Interim Bilateral Trade Agreement, India is certainly among the countries imposing the highest tariffs on American goods among the major economies of the world. But the actual figures are far different from Trump’s estimates. India charges an average tariff of only 37 percent on American agricultural products. This tax on some selected American vehicles and their parts definitely goes up to 100 percent or more, which is still much less than Trump’s claim of 175%.
India had to pay 50% tax on purchase of Russian oil
Trade relations between the two countries came to a critical point when Trump expressed his strong displeasure over India’s continuous purchase of crude oil from Russia. In August 2025, Trump directly accused India of ‘helping Putin in the Ukraine war’ by buying Russian oil. After this, in retaliation, America directly increased the 25 percent duty already imposed on India to 50 percent. This heavy tax burden has put India in the league of BRICS countries like Brazil and China. Who are currently facing the strictest and heaviest taxes of the American administration.
Comments are closed.