More than 80 leading footwear companies and brands sent a letter to President Trump adamantly opposing the potential for additional shoe taxes under consideration by the Trump Administration, according to a statement from the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA).
The letter, signed by American shoe companies representing domestic manufacturers, brands, retailers, and distributors and serving hundreds of millions of Americans, states “Adding even more tariffs on top of this heavy burden would mean higher costs for footwear consumers and fewer U.S. jobs. Given the price-sensitivity of our products, any additional increases in our costs would strike right at the heart of our ability to keep product competitively priced for our consumers.”
The letter goes on to remind the Administration that “In 2017 alone, U.S. footwear companies and U.S. consumers paid nearly $3 billion in these hidden taxes. This amounts to billions upon billions of dollars paid since these tariffs were first enacted in the 1930s. U.S. footwear tariffs stifle innovation and job creation and raise the cost of shoes for every American.”
“The U.S. Government should be searching for ways in which to lessen the heavy burden import taxes place on American families, not working hard to increase that burden!”, said Matt Priest, president and CEO of the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA). Priest continued, “taxing our consumers and the companies that are providing them with innovative and affordable products should not be a remedy to address intellectual property concerns in China. Why should our families and their favorite American footwear companies be the ones who pay? There has got to be a better way.”
To access a full copy of the letter, click here.
For more information about the negative impact shoe taxes place on consumers and the American footwear industry, click here.
