The US government has proposed an additional tariff of 12.5% on India, even as its trade negotiators are in Delhi for negotiations with their counterparts. The recommendation came from the Office of the US Trade Representative following an investigation into “forced labour” practices in various countries. Most US trading partners would face a 10% levy under the proposal, while India and 53 other nations (including China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland) face a higher tariff rate. “For economies that impose a forced labor import prohibition, that have committed to impose and enforce such a prohibition through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or economies that have imposed a partial regime with the effect of preventing the importation of certain forced labor goods, the U.S. Trade Representative proposes 10% as the rate of additional duties. For all other economies, the U.S. Trade Representative proposes 12.5% as the rate of additional duty,” USTR wrote in a statement.