트럼프 대통령은 13일 백악관에서 기자들과 만난 자리에서 "다른 나라들에 의해 계속 이용당할 수는 없다"며 “이번 주 안으로 호혜세를 부과하겠다”고 밝혔다.
일반적으로는 무역협정을 체결한 당사국이 각각 제3국에 적용하는 관세율보다 한층 낮은 세율을 상호 간에 적용하는 관세를 말하는데 반대로 서로 더 높은 세율을 적용하는 것도 호혜세로 볼 수 있다. 트럼프가 말하는 호혜세는 그중 후자에 더 가깝다.
호혜세는 두 나라 간은 물론 몇몇 나라 또는 많은 나라 사이에서도 실시될 수 있다. 몇몇 나라의 경우로는 과거 EC(유럽공동체) 가맹국 사이에서 실시된 공업제품의 역내 관세 철폐를 들 수 있다. 다수국 간 호혜세의 예로는 GATT(관세 및 무역에 관한 일반협정)처럼 자유·다각·무차별의 정신 아래, 호혜관세율이 모든 가맹국에 적용되던 것을 들 수 있다.
트럼프 대통령은 이날 자리에서 '호혜세'의 구체적 내용에 대해서는 언급하지 않았다. 다만
"미국은 그동안 한국 중국 일본 등에 어마어마한 돈을 잃었다"고 발언함으로써 앞으로 나올 트럼프의 호혜세가 주로 한국 중국 일본 등을 겨냥할 것임을 예고했다.
트럼프 대통령은 이에 앞서 지난 달 한국산 등 수입 세탁기와 태양광 제품에 대한 세이프가드 즉 긴급수입제한 조치를 발효한 데 이어 중국과 한국, 일본 등을 겨냥한 무역전쟁을 본격화해왔다.
호혜세 발언 이후 뉴욕증시는 큰 폭으로 올랐다
트럼프 대통령의 호혜세 발언 로이터 통신의 보도 요약
U.S. to push for 'reciprocal tax' on trade partners: Trump
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would push for a “reciprocal tax” against countries, including U.S. allies, that levy tariffs on American products, but officials did not provide details on how such a tax would be structured or what goods it would apply to.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a meeting on his infrastructure initiative at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
During his populist 2016 presidential campaign, Republican Trump railed at countries that had trade surpluses “taking advantage of the United States” and he revisited the theme on Monday.
“We cannot continue to let people come into our country and rob us blind and charge us tremendous tariffs and taxes and we charge them nothing,” Trump told reporters at a White House event to announce a proposed infrastructure plan.
The United States loses “vast amounts of money with China and Japan and South Korea and so many other countries ... It’s a little tough for them because they’ve gotten away with murder for 25 years. But we’re going to be changing policy,” he said.
Trump said his administration will impose a “reciprocal tax” to charge other countries - “some of them are so-called allies but they’re not allies on trade.”
Retailers and trade associations have fought a Republican proposal on how imports are taxed because they believe it hurts their businesses and would lead to higher prices for consumers on basic items such as food and clothing.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, as they began to assemble a tax reform plan last year, proposed imposing a 20 percent border-adjustment tax on imports that was designed to offset the value-added tax refunds that some countries grant to their exporters.
But the idea was dropped after it ran into stiff opposition from retailers and other industries that depend on imported materials. The National Retail Federation called it a “bad tax” that would “drive up the prices of countless products Americans use every day.”
Last April on Fox Business Network, Trump suggested that if he said the U.S. would charge a 10 percent or 20 percent border tax “everyone goes crazy, because they like free trade” and added: “But when you say ‘reciprocal tax,’ nobody can get angry ... OK, you say, ‘whatever you charge, we’re charging.'”
김대호 기자 tiger8280@g-enews.com