Mexico Slaps US With Tariff

Mexico said yesterday it will increase tariffs on about 90 US products in retaliation for last week's decision to end a pilot program that allowed some Mexican trucks to transport goods in the United States. The measure will affect about $2.4 billion in trade involving goods from 40 states. Mexico's economic secretary said the tariffs were specifically chosen to hurt a large number of states on significant trade goods.

"The retaliatory measures are the cost the United States is going to have to pay for failing to fulfill its obligations under NAFTA," said the economic secretary. Last week, President Obama signed a bill cutting off funding for a 2007 program that allowed Mexican trucks to distribute goods freely in the US, a move Mexico believes is "wrong, protectionist, and a clear violation of the [NAFTA] treaty," the economic secretary said.
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