The AirForwarders Association (AfA) has welcomed the US Supreme Court’s striking down of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs on 20 February, saying that it should bring a degree of clarity for US international traders.
It said its members had seen firsthand how tariff measures negatively impact shipping volumes, pricing, and supply chain planning. Greater stability in trade policy is critical for the movement of goods, it argued.
However, while the ruling may reduce some immediate cost pressures, uncertainty around future trade actions continues to complicate long-term planning for importers, exporters, and the logistics providers that support them, AfA said, adding: “We now need clarity on how any tariff refunds will be processed, including the timeline, administrative requirements, and eligibility criteria, to ensure businesses can plan with confidence and reduce unnecessary costs.”
AfA would continue to work with policymakers to prioritise clear, consistent trade frameworks that support economic growth and strengthen supply chain resilience.
However, on 21 February US President Donald Trump has said he will impose global tariffs on all countries of 10%under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act and then announced a day later that this would increase to 15%, the maximum allowed under the legislation.
Judah Levine, head of research at the Freightos online platform said however that “The shift to a global 15% tariff would mostly preserve the original tariff rates, and would cut the overall US tariff rate by only 2%. It would lead to a 5% reduction for and Vietnam, China, although overall effective tariffs on China remain around 40% due to pre-existing Section 301 duties. There would be no change for the EU, but a 5% increase for the UK. The most significant reduction would be for Brazil, which would see its tariffs cut from 40% to 15%.
Levine added that the biggest impact may be Trump’s loss of IEEPA’s speed: Trump has repeatedly used the IEEPA-based threat of immediate tariffs for leverage across a range of geopolitical issues – most recently Greenland and Iran. Without it, the speed with which Trump’s threats have shifted trade and impacted logistics markets is likely to slow considerably compared to 2025.”
Levine added that significantly lower effective tariff rates are likely to spur shipments out of places like Brazil while some importers out of China and Vietnam may be enticed by the 5% dip in tariffs to increase orders too. But the overall modest reductions and high uncertainty may limit the surge compared to last year’s frontloading waves, with any pickup likely starting in early March as manufacturing resumes post-Lunar New Year.
