From 24 July 2026, the USA introduced an additional duty of 12.5% on a portion of goods from Kazakhstan. However, the new measure does not apply to oil, certain petroleum products, uranium ores and concentrates, as well as some other categories of goods.
WHICH GOODS ARE AFFECTED BY THE NEW DUTIES
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Kazakhstan was included in a list of 60 countries and economies that were subject to an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
The American side was checking whether these countries prohibit the import of goods wholly or partially produced using forced labour, and how effectively such a ban is enforced. Following the investigation, it was concluded that the rules in force in Kazakhstan, in the assessment of the US, do not provide the necessary protection against the import of such products.
WHEN DID THE NEW TARIFFS COME INTO EFFECT
According to the official decision, the additional duty came into force at 00:01 Eastern Time USA on 24 July 2026. It applies on top of the existing customs duty.
As reported by Reuters, the new tariffs came into effect immediately after the expiry of the temporary global duty of 10%. According to the agency, the duties apply to goods from 60 countries and economies, and Kazakhstan was among 38 states for which a rate of 12.5% has been set.
WHICH GOODS ARE EXEMPT FROM THE DUTY
The new measure does not apply to all of Kazakhstan's exports. Exempt from the additional duties are oil, certain petroleum products, uranium ores and concentrates, as well as some other goods. Similar exceptions are provided for several other categories of products.
In the official notification, the reason for imposing the new duties was cited, in the assessment of the American side, as the insufficient effectiveness of the ban on importing goods produced using forced labour.
