US scraps tariffs on some Canadian goods weeks before midterm elections

The Trump administration in the United States has decided to remove additional customs tariffs imposed on certain goods imported from Canada.

According to the White House, plywood, some paper products, certain machinery, refrigeration equipment and some packaging crates and boxes will no longer face the roughly 50 percent additional tariff. Instead, some valves, carpets and waste products have been added to the tariff list.

Under the proclamation signed on Friday, the new arrangement will take effect from October 30. The rule will apply to goods entering for consumption or withdrawn from storage on or after that date.

The decision comes about two weeks before the midterm elections in November. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she had pushed for the move to provide relief to her state's agricultural industry.

She wrote on social media that the exemption ensures relief for goods tied to Maine's agricultural products such as blueberries, potatoes, apples and seaweed. Maine, which borders Canada, has been heavily affected by Trump's trade war, and Collins is facing a tough challenge there from a Democratic candidate.

After trade talks collapsed in August, the United States had imposed additional tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, Canada had also imposed retaliatory tariffs on US goods.