OIA has achieved two major trade victories. The House and Senate passed trade legislation containing several OIA-crafted provisions that would eliminate import tariffs on certain kinds of athletic footwear, primarily waterproof-breathable boots and shoes. Most athletic footwear, like Gore-tex or eVent trail running shoes, cannot be manufactured in the U.S. Under OIAs suggestion, these types of footwear were separated into two different categories, significantly reducing the import duties on waterproof-breathable footwear. In total, twelve footwear tariff relief measures will apply to certain footwear that incorporates a laminated or coated textile fabric. Ten eliminate tariff rates on these products, some as high as 37.5%, and two would reduce tariff rates to 12.8 and 15.2%.
