SINGAPORE, Feb 21 — Singapore exports to the United States will continue to face a 10 per cent tariff even after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs imposed under emergency powers, The Straits Times reported today.
The US top court ruled 6-3 that Trump lacked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to unilaterally impose tariffs on nearly all trading partners, but he swiftly invoked another trade provision to reinstate a global 10 per cent levy.
“Given that Singapore is already subjected to a 10 per cent tariff, things should remain stable,” veteran US trade negotiator Wendy Cutler, senior vice-president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the Singapore newspaper.
The new tariff is being imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows temporary import surcharges of up to 15 per cent for 150 days to address serious trade deficits.
Singapore, a US free trade partner since 2004, had already been subjected to a 10 per cent baseline tariff under the “Liberation Day” measures announced in April 2025.
Sector-specific duties remain in place, including a 100 per cent tariff on branded or patented pharmaceutical products unless firms build manufacturing facilities in the US, while most semiconductor exports continue to enter at reduced or zero rates due to exemptions.
Businesses are seeking clarity amid the shifting legal landscape and potential refund claims that could run into billions of US dollars.
“But this is not a deal breaker for the US-Asean economic ties,” Brian McFeeters, president and chief executive officer of the US-Asean Business Council, was quoted as saying.
“There may be some disruption or slower movement on the margins but the broader trajectory – including progress on agreements on reciprocal trade focused on tackling non-tariff barriers – remains firmly intact,” he added.
