Overview

• On Sky News, Treasurer Jim Chalmers called nuisance tariffs a tax on workers and families and said many duties cost more to collect than they return.
• He signalled plans for unilateral removal of hundreds more low-value import duties without specifying which products would be next.
• Chalmers pledged to build consensus with Trade Minister Don Farrell and to remain mindful of ongoing negotiations with the US.
• The treasurer’s comments served as a thinly veiled critique of President Trump’s tariff threats as Australian exports face blanket 10% levies and sectoral rates up to 50%.
• The initial abolition of about 500 nuisance tariffs has already streamlined roughly A$8.5 billion of annual trade and is projected to save businesses A$180 million in compliance costs by 2030.