A bipartisan ‘No Coffee Tax Act’ has been introduced to the United States (US) Congress that aims to repeal the tariffs placed on coffee by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The US is the largest importer of coffee in the world, with only regions including Hawaii and Puerto Rico – which is a US territory – able to produce the crop.
Currently, major coffee producing nations that export coffee to the US are facing tariffs, including a 50 per cent tariff on all goods from Brazil and a 20 per cent tariff on all goods from Vietnam.
Other major producers including India (50 per cent), Mexico (25 per cent), and Indonesia (19 per cent) have also been made subject to tariffs above the President’s 10 per cent base rating.
The Act, which has been introduced by Nebraska Representative Don Bacon and Californian Representative Ro Khanna, has gained the support of Virgina’s Don Beyer and New Hampshire’s Maggie Goodlander.
Bacon says placing tariffs on a product that cannot be produced in the US is counter-productive for the end consumer.
“Families across America are feeling the cost of higher coffee prices, which are already up 21 per cent, and tariffing a product we can’t grow at a large, commercial scale only makes it worse,” says Bacon.
“Tariffs are simply a tax on American consumers, raising the price of everyday goods without creating jobs or bringing production onshore.
“Article One of the Constitution makes clear that Congress has the authority to set tariffs, and this legislation begins to reclaim that authority.”
The Bill seeks to exempt coffee from any tariffs imposed after 19 January 2025 and includes roasted and decaffeinated coffee, as well as coffee husks, skins, and coffee substitutes containing coffee in any proportion.
The US coffee industry has been vocal about its desire to have coffee exempt from any tariffs, on the grounds it could not be produced commercially and at a large enough scale to service demand for it.
A petition from roaster Coffee Bros on the subject has reached almost 15,000 signatures since it was opened in April 2025.
Khana has compared the tariffs on coffee to the England’s taxes on tea prior to the American Revolution 250 years ago.
“Americans started a revolution over a tax on tea,” he says. “US coffee prices have increased significantly over the last year, in part due to Trump’s tariffs.
“If you drink coffee every morning, how can you not be mad about that?
“Our bipartisan bill is simple: it removes Trump’s tariffs on coffee to bring down costs.”
Reuters has reported the legislation will be introduced on Friday.
“I look forward to working with Rep. Khanna on this bipartisan bill and believe it can help spark the broader debate about Congress reclaiming its Constitutional role in tariff policy,” says Bacon.
