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US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States would remove its 10 per cent tariff on Irish whiskey, announcing the decision at the conclusion of the Irish Open in Ireland.
Trump said several people had urged him to reconsider the tariff, including Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin and a number of golfers. Irish Open champion Shane Lowry was among those who raised the issue with Trump. His announcement prompted loud whistles and cheers from spectators, although the timing of the tariff's removal was not immediately clear. Addressing the crowd during the trophy presentation, Trump said, "Everybody's been bugging me" to do it. "And I said, on behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off" Irish whiskey, he said. Irish whiskey remains covered by the tariff applied by the Trump administration to most goods imported from the European Union. The rate was cut from 15 per cent to 10 per cent in July. The move comes after Trump announced in April that certain tariffs on whiskey from the United Kingdom would be lifted, including those applicable to Scotch and spirits produced in Northern Ireland. The Irish Whiskey Association had urged the US to remove the duties in May, saying the decision would assist US businesses that carry Irish products and provide greater certainty for consumers. Trump had previously linked the tariff concession granted to the UK to a visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House on April 30. "The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!" Trump said in a social media post. The Scotch Whisky Association said on July 24 that the zero-tariff arrangement had taken effect. (ANI)
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