# No, that’s not what a trade deficit means – and that’s not how you calculate other nations’ tariffs

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/no-thats-not-what-a-trade-deficit-means-and-thats-not-how-you-calculate-other-nations-tariffs/
- Published: 2025-04-05T09:45:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Photo credit: Greg Goebel via Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0. Article by Peter Draper and Vutha Hing. The Conversation – April 4, 2025. On April 2, United States President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping new “reciprocal tariff” regime he says will level the playing field in global trade – by treating other countries the way (he claims) they treat the US. First, Trump’s plan will impose a “baseline” 10% tariff on virtually all goods imported into the US, effective April 5. Then, from April 9, 57 countries will face higher “reciprocal tariffs”. These vary by country, according to a formula based on individual trade deficits. On face value, the new tariff regime might sound like a simple solution for fairness. If a particular country was taxing American imports with a 50% tariff, it might seem fair for the US to tax their imports at 50% as well. But appearances are deceiving. […] Click here to view original web page at www.theconversation.com Related articles: Trump’s Reciprocal Tariff Math Leaves Economists Baffled – Newsweek Tariffs in 2025 will hit these Americans and things we buy the hardest – USA Today Small Business Owners Debate Whether To Display Trump’s Tariff Costs On Receipts – Forbes How Trump’s latest tariffs could affect your personal spending – PBS News Hour Price hikes, idled factories, layoffs: how car companies are responding to Trump’s tariffs – The Verge