Container Top
Homes   Jobs   Cars   Shopping
Search

Events Calendar

EVENT SEARCH:

In This Section


Most Read Stories


Blogs:


Akron Law Café:
The 160th Anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement

The Heldenfiles:
Friday Morning Notebook

Balanced Ledger:
… more baseball

Patrick McManamon:
An online conversation …

Browns Bulletin:
Not that there is anything wrong with that…

Cleveland Browns:
Browns training camp schedule

Cleveland Indians:
Cliff Lee overcomes his own demons this All Star start.

Akron Aeros:
LaPorta’s true character revealed in collision at plate

Akron Zips:
Northwest’s Klatt commits to Michigan State

Varsity Letters:
Wadsworth’s Cline signs at Mount Union

Kent State Sports:
Jarvis on Maxwell watch list

Ohio Politics:
Obama Focused On Women In Ohio

All Da King's Men:
Wanted: One President, No Experience Required

Blog of Mass Destruction:
6 Degrees of Executive Privilege Separation

Akrocentric:
Charles Taormina discusses "Acceptance of Individual Authors," self-publishing resources

Akron Gamer:
Midnight Madness

BokBluster:
Go With the Flow

Ohio Travels with Betty:
Are there caves to explore on Lake Erie's islands?

Olympic Dreams - Running:
Back to Phase One

Sound Check:
John Mayer at Blossom

Tia's Trends:
The Montague's and Their Chocolate Factory!

Shoe tax

How tariffs punish Americans with lower incomes

Many people in Ohio and elsewhere gave generously this past holiday season. Many collected partially worn shoes residing in closets around their homes and donated pairs to the needy. This gift brightens the lives of those struggling to provide their families with something so basic. It also points to more that must be done. Congress must approve the Affordable Footwear Act.

A bipartisan coalition of House members introduced the measure in November. They recognize the harm caused by high tariffs applied to footwear imported from other countries. The legislation would repeal the tariffs, making shoes more affordable, especially for those at lower income levels.

These tariffs are relics of another era, the 19th century, to be exact. The past 50 years have seen a steady lowering of tariffs, on such items as furniture, toys and cars. Unfortunately, footwear has escaped attention. The result is, the levies on shoes amount to 10 times the average tariff rate. Worse, the steepest tariff applies to the cheapest footwear, sneakers, making this shoe tax particularly regressive.

The Progressive Policy Institute recently noted that Americans purchased 2.4 billion pairs of shoes in 2006. Their value at the border was $19 billion, the federal government then collected $1.9 billion in duties. The average American tariff rate is 1.6 percent. Yet for dress shoes the rate is 8.5 percent, for running shoes, 20 percent, and a whopping 60 percent for some types of cheap sneakers.

All of this adds up to higher prices. The PPI analysis explained that for sneakers to tariff regimen boosts the price by roughly one-third.

The usual argument for trade protection is the need to preserve American jobs. In this case, there aren't any American manufacturers of such inexpensive shoes. The American jobs involve design, research, marketing and specialty items. Thus, these shoe tariffs serve largely to punish the needy, making shoes more costly, reducing the amount of money families have to spend on other goods and services.

By next holiday season, let's hope Congress has done its generous part and removed these punitive levies on imported shoes.

Many people in Ohio and elsewhere gave generously this past holiday season. Many collected partially worn shoes residing in closets around their homes and donated pairs to the needy. This gift brightens the lives of those struggling to provide their families with something so basic. It also points to more that must be done. Congress must approve the Affordable Footwear Act.

Get the full article here.


Story tools

Email  Email   Print  Print   Save  Save   Reprint  Reprint   Popular  Most Popular   Reprint  Subscribe

Share this story

AddThis Social Bookmark Button