Fri Aug 01 15:38:38 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Trump Administration Slaps Switzerland with 39% Tariff, Swiss Government “Disappointed”**

**Washington, D.C.** – The Trump administration has announced a sweeping new round of tariffs affecting dozens of trade partners, including a hefty 39% tariff on Swiss goods. The move, unveiled on Thursday and set to take effect on August 7th, has sent shockwaves through Switzerland, whose government expressed “great regret” and vowed to negotiate a solution.

The 39% rate is more than double the 15% being applied to most European Union imports. The White House justified the steep tariff by claiming Switzerland, “one of the wealthiest, highest-income countries on Earth, cannot expect the United States to tolerate a one-sided trade relationship”.

Key Swiss industries, including manufacturing and watchmaking, are expected to be significantly impacted by the new duties.

“It’s a massive shock for the export industry and for the whole country,” said Jean-Philippe Kohl, Deputy Director of Swissmem, an engineering industries group, calling the tariffs “arbitrary” and lacking “any rational basis.”

The Trump administration maintains the tariffs are necessary to address a “continued lack of reciprocity” in trade relationships. Similar tariffs are being imposed on Canada (35%), Brazil (50%), and Taiwan (20%), although Taiwan expects to negotiate a lower rate.

The announcement has created significant uncertainty, and global stock markets stumbled on Friday. While some analysts suggest markets have already priced in the potential impact of tariffs, concerns remain about the underlying strain on the global economy.

The Swiss government said it remains in contact with U.S. authorities and “still hopes to find a negotiated solution” to avert the tariffs. The U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, claimed many countries were “happy” with the new rates, but this assertion is being widely disputed by those countries that are affected by the tariffs. The short extension to the deadline, as August 1 was previously indicated, is so that countries have “a little bit more time and breathing space to get some more deals done”.

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