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Associations try once again to kick ‘shoe tax’ to the curb

Groups say with 99 percent of purchased footwear coming from overseas, import duties not needed to protect U.S. businesses Shoe manufacturers, retailers and their associations are once again asking Congress to repeal import duties on shoes made overseas, arguing the law was created to protect an industry that is nearly extinct in the U.S. The Affordable Footwear Act, introduced earlier this year, would eliminate duties on many shoes manufactured in foreign countries. Supporters say the “shoe tax” can jack up the retail price of a pair of shoes by as much as 40 percent. The proposed repeal has been introduced in Congress four times since 2007. While it has no visible… Read More