Footwear Association Asks Biden to Lift Section 301 Tariffs on Shoes
The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America told President Joe Biden that removing tariffs on shoes doesn't require public policy reviews but "just the stroke of your pen to help lower shoe prices."
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The April 11 FDRA letter said the average tariff on shoes is 12%, compared with 2% for all goods, and that cheaper shoes are taxed at 20% and 37.5% before the 7.5% tariff on Chinese shoes under List 4a of the Section 301 action.
"With the added 301 duty, the duty rate DOUBLED for certain children’s casual shoes and slippers, and it more than TRIPLED on certain plastic sandals, wool slippers, and infant crib shoes, directly creating record price spikes at checkout. These are shoes families must buy multiple times a year for their children," CEO Matt Priest wrote.
He noted that some in the administration had noted the tariffs' inflationary effects.
"Shoes are not a real negotiating tool in geopolitics, and the 301 duties are now creating greater harm than the bargaining chip the government falsely imagines. You do not have to end 301 duties on all items. You can carve out breakouts on consumer goods to provide targeted inflation relief for mass market goods," Priest wrote. He said he understands the policy behind the 25% duties on Chinese microchips, but called tariffs on consumer products "misinformed."