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Joel Pollak on Trump’s 30% tariff shock for SA - BEE + motor sector’s 30% protection targeted

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US Conservative Joel Pollak, the erstwhile frontrunner to become Trump’s man in Pretoria, shares insights on US ‘reciprocal’ Tariffs announced yesterday - among them a 30% duty on South African exports into the world’s biggest market. Pollak explains the White House added both direct duties and indirect charges on US exports to determine the scale of its new tariffs. In SA’s case, the US calculated the effective tariff is 60%, half of which comes from BEE requirements whose legally applied add-on premiums funnel R150bn a year to politically connected elites. Pollak, who is in California, spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg this morning.

3 Apr 2025 5AM English South Africa Investing · Business News

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