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:

02.17.09
Despite the efforts of AAFA and the rest of the coalition, the Affordable Footwear Act was not included in the economic stimulus package approved by Congress last week. AAFA will continue to push approval of the Affordable Footwear Act by Congress.

02.10.09
Debate continues in the US Senate this week on the stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, where the fate of an important provision to extend the Berry Amendment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) still remains uncertain. Specifically, the amendment, introduced by Congressman Larry Kissell (D-NC), would provide America's domestic clothing, footwear and textile manufacturing base with opportunities to bid on new contracts for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Meanwhile, despite last minute efforts by AAFA and others in the footwear industry, the Affordable Footwear Act appears to have not made the Senate version of the stimulus package. AAFA and the rest of the footwear coalition will continue to fight for inclusion of the Affordable Footwear Act when the US House of Representatives and Senate meet in conference in an attempt to reconcile the markedly different House and Senate versions of the stimulus package. While final passage of the Senate bill is expected this week, the next couple days will prove crucial to the version ultimately voted on by Congress and signed by President Obama.

12.23.08
AAFA joined the rest of the Affordable Footwear Act coalition in submitting a paper December 20 to the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama urging Obama to include the Affordable Footwear Act (HR 3934/S. 2370) in the economic stimulus package(s) that Obama and the new Congress plan for early next year. The coalition believes that the Affordable Footwear Act is a prime candidate for the economic stimulus package because the legislation would provide direct and immediate relief for the people who need it most -- hardworking American families -- by eliminating the outdated and regressive import tax on low-cost and children's shoes. AAFA continues to urge you and your colleagues to write to your members of Congress in support of the Affordable Footwear Act.

10.20.08
It appears that Congress will now come back for a lame-duck session of Congress to approve a new stimulus package. Based on conversations with our supporters in Congress, we believe we have a good chance of getting the Affordable Footwear Act (H.R. 3934/S. 2372) included in any stimulus package considered by Congress during this lame-duck session. We need your help now! We are assembling a CEO letter to key Congressional leaders that we hope to send out by the end of this week. The CEOs from over two dozen footwear companies and retailers (both large and small) have already signed onto the letter. We hope your CEO can do the same. If your CEO is interested in signing onto the letter, please contact Nate Herman, 703.797.9062, by this Wednesday, October 22. We need the name of your CEO, your company and the city and state of your headquarters. We do NOT need actual signatures. Thank you to those of you who have already signed on.

10.14.08
Amid increasing signs that Congress will return for a lame duck session after the elections (the week of November 17), AAFA and the rest of the industry coalition are again pushing hard for Congressional passage of the Affordable Footwear Act (HR 3934/S 2372). AAFA will be reaching out to members over the next week asking them to reach out to their members of Congress and to join the coalition for a lobbying day in Washington, DC sometime next week.

09.22.08
With only one week remaining before Congress adjourns for the year and prospects for a “lame duck” session of Congress in November uncertain (See top story), the clock is quickly running out for the Affordable Footwear Act (HR 3934/S 2372) to be passed. Thanks to the efforts of AAFA, more than 100 media outlets around the country have run stories on this important piece of legislation, most recently a September 6 editorial in "The Wall Street Journal" urging Congress to approve the legislation.

To help push us over the finish line, the Affordable Footwear Initiative (AFI) coalition has engaged the public relations firm, 101 Strategy Partners, to complement AAFA’s efforts to convince Congress to end the shoe tax. The coalition continues to lobby members of Congress to support the legislation as well, concluding yet another successful lobby day on September 16. With 156 bi-partisan cosponsors in the House and 14 co-sponsors in the Senate the possibilities are looking positive for the legislation, we have made a lot of progress, but AAFA and the rest of the coalition will continue to push hard in the final hours of Congress to make the Affordable Footwear Act a reality.

06.23.08
The Affordable Footwear Initiative (AFI) coalition has reached an important milestone in the legislative effort to eliminate the shoe tax through the Affordable Footwear Act (HR 3934 / S 2372). AAFA and its AFI partners have successfully focused members' attention on the "shoe tax" and these efforts led 145 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, (one-third of the chamber) to co-sponsor the legislation. The Affordable Footwear Act would eliminate the regressive tax on certain lower to moderately priced footwear and all children's shoes. These types of shoes typically carry the highest rate of duty, reaching levels as high as 67.5 percent. The Affordable Footwear Act has 12 Senate co-sponsors. On Tuesday, June 24, AAFA footwear members will join AFI coalition members as they meet with more Congressional offices to recruit even more members of Congress. Learn more about the costly shoe tax and the Affordable Footwear Act legislation to eliminate at the AAFA-sponsored website, www.EndTheShoeTax.org. Visitors can also email their members of Congress directly from the website to urge more support and quick passage for the bill.

06.09.08
On June 2, AAFA submitted comments supporting inclusion of the Affordable Footwear Act (H.R. 3934) in the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) package being assembled by the House Ways and Means Committee. The MTB is a biennial bill that provides for the temporary suspension of duties for certain non-controversial imports. AAFA also submitted comments supporting the suspension of duties for certain wheeled travel bags and a bill that would remove the “abundant supply” provision in AGOA.

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).