Mexico‘s tariff payments to the United States exceeds 10% of total exports to that destination, informed Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Economy, on Tuesday.
Imports of products to the U.S. market from Mexico grew at a year-on-year rate of 6.4% in 2024, to a record $505.851 billion dollars, with a 15.5% share of total U.S. purchases, rising from 15.4% in 2023.
«Mexico has a free trade agreement with the United States. This country, the United States, has 13 additional ones, and our treaty is the only one today that has the condition that almost 90% of our total trade with the United States is tariff-free,» Ebrard told reporters.
Mexico sends about four-fifths of its foreign sales to the United States and among its main products to that destination are motor vehicles, auto parts, computers, petroleum and electrical equipment.
Mexico’s tariff payments to the United States
Before participating in the National Meeting of BBVA Regional Advisors in Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard criticized the U.S. trade stance. According to the former foreign minister, Washington has given differential treatment to the USMCA. This approach, he pointed out, does not apply to the other 13 free trade agreements signed by the U.S. economy.
In addition, he stressed that in his second term, President Donald Trump’s administration has toughened its tariff policy. On the one hand, it has imposed “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries. On the other, it has set universal tariffs on key products such as cars, steel and aluminum.
Tariff effects
Banco Base reported that, with data available through May, the effective U.S. tariff rate for Mexican products stood at 13.67%. This level was reached after exemptions were announced at the end of April for auto parts that comply with USMCA requirements.
In addition, former President Donald Trump signed executive orders to simplify tariffs. This prevented automotive imports from Mexico and Canada from paying the 25% tariff announced in March. This measure, according to the U.S. government, was in response to the fentanyl crisis.
As a result, Mexico ranks 22nd among the 25 countries from which the United States imports the most, in terms of effective tariffs.