In a surprising move, the US government has imposed a substantial 29% tariff on exports from a diminutive Australian outpost, inspite of the territory’s minimal export volume. The decision has left the territory’s mere 2,188 inhabitants reeling, as they grapple with the potential economic ramifications of such a steep tariff.
Though the rugged volcanic Norfolk island in the southern Pacific does ship a modest amount of Kentia palm seeds abroad, typically worth less than US$1 million a year, mostly to Europe, news of the unusually steep tariff passed through its 2188 residents on Thursday with a mixture of amusement and confusion.
Norfolk Island was among dozens of tiny territories which appeared on the same list as China and the European Union as recipients of Trump’s highly anticipated tariff regime, even though they do not have a real manufacturing or export industry.