The Bangladeshi government plans to formally appeal to the United States Trade Representative, contesting a new 37 percent reciprocal tariff on its exports as unjustified and based on inaccurate trade data, officials said Wednesday.
Mahbubur Rahman, commerce secretary from Dhaka, said the decision came during an emergency inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat held hours after U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement.
Rahman said Bangladesh’s analysis showed American imports face an average tax of just 2.37 percent, sharply contradicting Trump’s claim that U.S. goods are subjected to a 74 percent tariff when entering Bangladesh.
“This minimal rate reflects our duty-free or near-zero treatment for major U.S. exports like cotton, soybean seeds and scrap metal,” Rahman told The Daily Star. “The U.S. tariff, in this context, lacks justification.”
Rahman also pointed to what he described as methodological flaws in the Trump administration’s assessment, including its exclusion of American service exports and licensing fees. “They’ve ignored our sizable payments to U.S. tech firms, insurance providers, and digital platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Microsoft,” he said.
The National Board of Revenue is currently verifying the 74 percent figure cited by Trump, according to Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan. He noted the U.S. may have referenced only peak or selective duty rates rather than actual averages.
Bangladesh has scheduled a meeting with Tracey Ann Jacobson, the U.S. Embassy’s chargé d’affaires, on Sunday to present its position and seek a diplomatic resolution.
While Rahman said the immediate effect on exports may be limited, he warned of broader consequences. “This will contribute to inflation in both economies. Ultimately, American consumers will pay higher prices,” he said.
Rahman noted that Trump expressed openness to bilateral talks, and Bangladesh intends to push for a negotiated resolution.