Affordable Footwear Act of 2007

The Issue:
Over the last five years, a number of actions – through free trade agreements and through targeted duty suspension and elimination bills – have been taken that have lowered footwear duties. However, with 99 percent of all footwear sold in the United States being imported and with more than 80 percent of all footwear sold in the United States being imported from China, U.S. footwear firms still pay the U.S. treasury more than $1.9 billion in duties every year. The Affordable Footwear Act of 2007 seeks to end the shoe tax, the expensive import tariffs on lower- to moderately-priced and children's footwear, to ultimately lower the price of shoes - something everyone must buy. By focusing on only $700 million of the $1.9 billion Americans pay every year in duties, with markups at the wholesale and retail level, this $700 million in cost to the U.S. Treasury actually translates into $2-3 billion in savings for hardworking U.S. families. Learn more at www.EndTheShoeTax.org.

AAFA on the Issue:
AAFA strongly supports elimination of duties on footwear no longer made in the United States. AAFA successfully eliminated duties on virtually all footwear (under liberal rules of origin) in every U.S. free trade agreement during the past five years. Furthermore, AAFA has successfully lobbied for the temporary elimination or reduction of duties on U.S. imports on over 30 specific types of footwear through the U.S. Congress’ Miscellaneous Trade Bill (MTB) process. AAFA was the first association to endorse the AFI and has taken a lead role in developing and lobbying for this important initiative to help accomplish AAFA’s footwear duty elimination goals.

The AFI coalition has launched www.EndTheShoeTax.Org -- a new website created and maintained by AAFA -- where American consumers can learn more about the hidden, regressive tax they pay on the shoes they buy for themselves and their children. American consumers can then send letters directly from the website to their members of Congress urging them to "Stomp Out the Shoe Tax." AAFA encourages you to send letters to your member of Congress through the website. It takes only a minute to send the letter.

The Latest News:

01.22.08

Even though Congress has only just returned from its month long holiday recess this week, the AAFA-supported bi-partisan Affordable Footwear Act (HR 3934/S 2372) has started the year with a half dozen new co-sponsors and extensive media coverage from around the country. Thanks to the hard work of AAFA and others, the legislation now has 75 co-sponsors in the US House of Representatives. We Still Need Your Help! Your members of Congress need to hear from you. Write your members of Congress, urge your employees to e-mail their members of Congress and join us for weekly lobbying days in Washington, DC. To learn more or send an e-mail to your member of Congress, please go to the AAFA-created coalition website -- EndTheShoeTax.Org -- or contact AAFA's Nate Herman at 703.797.9062.

12.17.07

Last week the Associated Press (AP) published a favorable story about the Affordable Footwear Act. The article has been picked-up by dozens of media outlets across the country. In response to this article, thousands of consumers nationwide (and growing daily) have emailed their members of Congress from our website, www.EndTheShoeTax.org, to ask them to support and co-sponsor the legislation. To find out more about the Affordable Footwear Act, see the latest media coverage and learn how you can help, go to What Others Are Saying.

11.27.07
The Affordable Footwear Act of 2007 (H.R. 3934/S. 2372) reached two new milestones last week. First, Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced the Affordable Footwear Act of 2007 (S. 2372) on November 15 in the US Senate. Meanwhile, the House version of the legislation (H.R. 3934) surpassed 50 bi-partisan co-sponsors in the US House of Representatives.

We need your support! Your members of Congress need to hear from you, their constituents. Your voice counts when it comes to convincing a member of Congress to co-sponsor legislation. AAFA encourages you to send letters to your member of Congress through the Affordable Footwear Initiative (AFI) coalition's website -- www.EndTheShoeTax.org -- and join the coalition's lobbying efforts in Washington, DC. It takes only a minute to send a letter. To learn more about AFI and how you can help, go to www.EndTheShoeTax.org.

10.29.07
US Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Nancy Boyda (D-KS), along with 35 original co-sponsors, officially introduced the AAFA-supported Affordable Footwear Act of 2007 (HR 3934) on October 23. This common-sense tax relief legislation eliminates the import tariffs, collectively known as the shoe tax, on all lower to moderately-priced footwear as well as all children's shoes, or about 60 percent of all shoes sold in the United States.

Supporters continue to push for more co-sponsors for the Affordable Footwear Act, with more lobby days this week, in an effort to get Congress to approve the legislation before the end of the year. AAFA urges interested companies to participate in the next set of lobby days in Washington, DC November 13-14, the same week as the Annual Customs Trade Symposium (November 14-15). Members of Congress need to hear from you, their constituents. Your voice counts when it comes to convincing a member of Congress to co-sponsor legislation like the Affordable Footwear Act of 2007 (HR 3934).