Turkey increases tariffs on some US imports
Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay has said Turkey has increased customs duties on some US products including alcohol, cigarettes and cars in retaliation to Washington's tariffs on Turkish aluminium and iron.
Among the products are cars, rice, some alcohol and tobacco products and some cosmetic products like sun creams.
Turkey has raised tariffs on some US imports, including passenger cars, alcohol, tobacco, the country's Official Gazette said on Wednesday.
The decree, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, raised the tariffs on passenger cars to 120 percent, on alcoholic drinks to 140 percent and on leaf tobacco to 60 percent. Tariffs were also increased on goods including cosmetics, rice and coal.
Under the decree, Turkey will also raise tariffs to around 100 percent on imports of some other products.
The new decree amends a presidential decree on July 11.
ABD yönetiminin ekonomimize bilinçli saldırılarına karşı,
— Fuat Oktay (@fuatoktay06) August 15, 2018
mütekabiliyet ilkesi çerçevesinde, bazı ürünlerin ithalatında vergi oranları artırılmıştır.
"Tax rates on imports of some products have been increased on a reciprocal basis against the US administration's deliberate attacks on our economy," Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter.
On Friday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry (MFA) said Turkey would retaliate against the raising of steel and aluminium tariffs by the US administration.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy said on the Turkish MFA Twitter account that President Donald Trump's decision, which also violates World Trade Organization rules, does not comply with "state seriousness."
Trump ramped up his attack on Turkey by raising steel and aluminium tariffs to 50 percent and 20 percent respectively.
The US decision is another salvo in the growing dispute between Turkey and the US.
Last week, a Turkish delegation returned from Washington with no movement on the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest in Turkey over terrorism charges.
Brunson's charges include spying for the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by both the US and Turkey and the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO).
Turkey and the US are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul for not releasing Brunson.
Other issues dividing the NATO allies are the US failure to extradite FETO leader Fetullah Gulen, and US support for the YPG, the Syrian arm of the PKK terrorist organisation.
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