ieExplains: What are tariffs and how do they affect me?

"As a member of the EU, we apply the Common Customs Tariff (CCT) for imports from non-EU countries and benefit from tariff-free trade with other EU members."
Put simply, a tariff is a tax on imported or exported goods. There is little difference between a conventional tax and a tariff as far as we, as consumers, are concerned.
Trump recently described the EU Value Added Tax (VAT) as a form of tariff, so it appears it’s more of a case of “potaytoe/potahto” from his perspective.