No Mr. President. Apple and US consumers will pay the 20% tariff on Vietnam
Whether Trump lied or was merely mistaken, U.S. Apple fans might have to pay more for devices made in Vietnam.
President Donald Trump has announced a trade deal with Vietnam. This deal leaves two different tariffs on goods imported into the U.S. from Vietnam. The one that covers Apple devices made in Vietnam and shipped to the States demands that Apple pay a 20% import tax. The tech giant will have the option of paying the entire amount. It could also raise prices by the amount of the tariff, leaving U.S. consumers to pay the tax bill. Or Apple could pay some of the tariffs and raise prices by a smaller amount, leaving consumers stuck with paying the balance.
I know that President Donald Trump wrote on a social media post that "Vietnam will pay the United States a 20% Tariff on any and all goods sent into our Territory." I'm sorry, but that is not how tariffs work. Vietnam will not pay one penny of the tariff imposed on it by the U.S. You might want to believe otherwise, but it is true. Apple and/or its U.S. customers will be forced to pay the hiked import tax on the following devices, which are believed to be made by Apple in Vietnam:
- AirPods
- Apple Watch
- iPad
- Mac mini
- MacBook Pro
The 20% import tax on goods shipped into the U.S. from Vietnam sounds like a bargain compared to the 46% rate that Trump announced for Vietnam during his "Liberation Day" event. However, prior to that early April announcement, the tariff on goods shipped to the U.S. from Vietnam was less than 4%.
Is it a lie or simply a misstatement? Trump is wrong about who pays the tariffs imposed on Vietnam. | Image-AppleInsider
Besides the 20% tariff on goods shipped from Vietnam to the U.S., Trump announced a 40% transshipping tariff on goods shipped to the U.S. from Vietnam that originally came from another country (usually China) and were shipped through Vietnam in order to escape a higher tariff. As we noted, Apple is not expected to have to deal with the transshipping tariff.
At one point, Apple was reportedly looking to move its main iPhone manufacturing facilities from China to Vietnam. However, it looks like Trump won't be satisfied until each and every iPhone sold in the U.S. is built in America. Yet Trump Mobile recently changed the website hawking the new Trump T1 Phone. Originally touted as being made in America, the site now says that the phone was "Designed with American values in mind."
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