Turkey imposes additional import tariffs on more than 800 items

Turkey has imposed an additional tariff of up to 30% on imports of more than 800 items including work and agriculture machinery, a statement on the Official Gazette showed on Wednesday.

The new tariffs, which could slow a rise in the current account deficit, can be lowered by up to 10 percentage points as of Oct. 1. The tariffs will not be applied to imports from countries with which Turkey has a free trade agreement.

The additional tariffs will be applied on some items used in the construction sector, some steel and iron products, spare parts used in the automotive sector and televisions, as well as a wide range of other goods.

Last week, Ankara announced additional tariffs on dozens of goods including dishwashers, freezers, jewellery, musical instruments and sanitary products. The additional tariffs on the imports of those products would be up to 30% until Sept. 30, and up to 25% after that date.