- Golf carts, pony fur, and mezcal face possible 50% US tariffs from Canada
- Trump administration targets Canada over alleged discriminatory trade practices
- Many items on the tariff list have minimal US import reliance on Canada
Golf carts, pony fur, bamboo furniture, and mezcal could soon be unlikely casualties of the US' intensifying trade war with Canada.
The Donald Trump administration added the items, and dozens of others, to a list of goods that may face 50% tariffs or outright bans later this month if they were imported into the country from Canada.
There is just one problem. The US barely buys many of the products on the list from Ottawa, CNN reported.
New Move In US-Canada Trade War
The White House said the proposed move was aimed at what the Trump administration claims is Canada's “discriminatory” treatment of American goods. Washington also said that the step was in response to Canada's retaliatory tariffs, which took effect Tuesday. The tariffs would also safeguard American workers, farmers, and manufacturers from foreign competition.
But the US list features items like mezcal, a product that Canada cannot legally produce within its territory due to Mexican labelling rules.
Not just that, pony fur comes under a category of animal furs that accounted for roughly 0.0001% of the $334 billion worth of goods that Ottawa exported to the United States.
The tariffs are also high in symbolism rather than actual economic impact. In the first round of tariffs on Canada that came into effect last month, Trump included hockey sticks. The sport is deeply associated with Canadian identity.
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney put American-made golf clubs on his own tariff list, a nod to Trump's favourite sport.
Neither product plays a big part in the US-Canada trade.
The new US tariffs indicate how far Trump can go to inflict economic pain on Canada.
Reason Behind Trade List
A senior Trump administration official told CNN that the items on the list were deliberately chosen to lessen the financial impact on Americans. The products on the list are not items that the US relies on Canada for, as they are either readily available domestically or can be imported from other nations.
What Else Is On The US List?
The United States is set to ban the import of some dairy products, motorcycles, and most alcoholic beverages from Canada.
The ban will take effect September 29, as per the Associated Press.
Trump has also moved to shut Canadian products out of large, long-term government contracts in the US. He has directed the US General Services Administration to declare the items ineligible for such contracts until Ottawa allows “full and fair reciprocity″ for American products.
