USTR Floats 12.5% Tariff on Indian Apparel Imports in Forced-Labour Probe

The US Trade Representative has proposed a 12.5% Section 301 tariff on Indian goods—above the 10% baseline for ~60 other partners—targeting cotton garments and inputs flagged for forced-labour risk. Public comment runs through early July before levies take effect; India says talks continue.

— Source publishedWed, 3 Jun, 2026, 14:52 IST·First seen Thu, 4 Jun, 2026, 14:05 IST·Source Business of Fashion · Retail

What happened

US Trade Representative · USTR proposes 12.5% tariff on Indian imports (vs 10% for others) under a Section 301 forced-labour probe, flagging cotton garments and

Key facts

  • 10%
  • 12.5%
  • 60 trading partners
  • 34 goods
  • Section 301
  • July 6
  • July 7

Why this matters

Forced-labour-linked tariff signals durable sourcing diversification tailwind—screen Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Central American vertically integrated apparel targets while Indian asset valuations soften.

Also reported by

Bloomberg wire originally; carried by: