US scotch whisky tariffs suspended for five years
A deal has been struck between the UK and US to end retaliatory tariffs on malt whiskies for five years.
The 25% tariff on scotch whisky imports was introduced under the Trump administration following a dispute over Airbus-Boeing subsidies.
However after successful talks between international trade secretary Liz Truss and US trade representative Katherine Tai, the previous four-month suspension has been extended to five years.
Karen Betts, chief executive of the The Scotch Whisky Association, said: “The past two years have been extremely damaging for our industry, with the loss of over £600m in exports to the US caused by a 25% tariff on single malt scotch whisky imposed as a result of the long-running dispute between US and European aircraft manufacturers.
“Today’s agreement is a culmination of many months of intensive negotiations and we’re grateful to Liz Truss, international trade secretary, and Katherine Tai, US trade representative, and their teams for their hard work.
“Given, however, that this deal suspends tariffs rather than fully resolving the underlying dispute, what’s critical now is that the governments and aerospace companies on both sides stick to their commitments and work with one another constructively.”