KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 -- The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Samenta) is calling for targeted relief measures for local exporters, warning that the newly implemented 10 per cent US tariff inflicts an immediate operational strain on SMEs.

While the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) highlighted that Malaysia secured a comparatively favourable rate compared to the 12.5 per cent imposed on several regional peers, Samenta argues that this distinction offers little comfort to small businesses.

The association stressed that the tariff acts as a sovereign-level regulatory penalty tied to national enforcement gaps, meaning compliant SMEs that have invested heavily in international labour and ESG standards ar...