US lobbyists try to eliminate most footwear import duties. Again

On October 31 US footwear and apparel lobbyists welcomed – as they do every two years, usually about now – the traditional Bill calling for the repeal of import duty on most shoes.

Normally called the Affordable Footwear Act, though occasionally varying slightly in the footwear it covers, we first covered this ritual in 2007, then again in 2009. The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) which traditionally welcomes the event, usually  describes it as “genuine tax relief for all consumers.”

In 2011, the Retail Industry Leaders Association said “Quick passage of the Affordable Footwear Act will help to further stimulate the economic recovery by lowering the cost of a basic necessity, restoring consumer confidence and increasing retail sales”. This year, the Bill was tabled in the Senate on Octopber 31, after being introduced into the House of Representatives in April, when Govtrack.us gave it a 4% chance of getting out of Committee and a 1% chance of getting passed into law. Govtrack has not yet rated the chances of the Senate Bill’s survival.