President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he plans to raise tariffs on imported goods from China to 20 percent, a move that could further drive up the cost of technology products. This increase builds on the 10 percent tariff he had previously imposed, effectively doubling the tax burden on Chinese imports and passing the additional costs to consumers.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that he would also impose tariffs of 25 percent on goods imported from Canada and Mexico starting March 4, according to the Associated Press. He framed these measures as necessary to protect American industries, writing, “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled.” Additionally, he confirmed that imports from China would face an extra 10 percent tariff on the same date.
The immediate effects of these tariffs are already being felt in the tech industry. Acer has announced a 10 percent price increase on its PCs due to the higher costs imposed by the tariffs. Trump also revealed plans for a separate 25 percent tariff on semiconductor imports, set to take effect on April 2, which could further impact the prices of computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices.
Despite these firm declarations, there is precedent for Trump delaying tariff implementations. As noted by the Associated Press, he previously suspended a set of proposed tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports for 30 days. However, with the latest round of tariffs now confirmed, consumers and businesses alike could soon face even higher prices on a wide range of technology products.
