Gov’t serious about resolving tariff matter – Jagdeo

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday assured Guyanese, especially those individuals who export commodities to the United States, that the government is serious about resolving this matter favourably.

Jagdeo told reporters that he met with exporters earlier this week.

During the meeting, the Vice President provided background on the reciprocal tariff recently announced by the US Government, including details on how the tariff is calculated and the specific exempt items.

He also spoke about the 10% baseline tariff imposed but explained on Thursday that this shouldn’t place exporters at a competitive disadvantage since it is applied across-the-board.

However, he emphasised that the government remains committed to working closely with the local private sector to ensure their continued competitiveness.

“I wanted them to know that we are taking the matter seriously,” Jagdeo said.

The Vice President also reiterated that there are exemptions to the tariffs. Those exemptions include petroleum products, aluminium ore and gold- three of the major Guyanese exports to the US. So even though the government is engaging the US on the tariff, a substantial amount of exports will be unaffected.