Congressmen Unveil Legislation Eliminating Footwear Tariffs

Two members of Congress plan on giving import tariffs on footwear the boot by introducing the Affordable Footwear Act. Kevin Brady (R-TX, 8th) and Joseph Crowley (D-NY, 7th) unveiled the legislation at a press conference on Capitol Hill earlier this week on behalf of a large, bipartisan group of sponsors. The bill would eliminate most of the import taxes on footwear that enters the United States under an outdated tariff system. The tariffs on footwear were put into place more than a half century ago to protect American footwear manufacturers from overseas competition, but now amount to little more than a regressive tax on American consumers. It is estimated that today, less than 2 percent of footwear products are made in the United States. OIA worked with its trade firm to ensure footwear that is produced in the United States was not included in the legislation.

Last year, Outdoor Industry Association joined a coalition of American manufacturers, retailers and trade associations involved in the Affordable Footwear Initiative (AFI) and has recently increased its role in the group. If your company makes or sells footwear products and you would like to discuss the legislation or the AFI, please contact Alex Boian at aboian@outdoorindustry.org.