Will U.S. Shoe Tax Be Repealed?

I read an article in this past Thursday's Chicago Tribune business section, about the movement to abolish the U.S. shoe tax. It again provides the lesson that taxes are relatively easy to pass, but hard to repeal - even when the industry it was designed to protect feels that it has outlived its usefulness.

The federal shoe tax dates back to the Depression-era. It was passed in the 1930's to protect domestic manufacturing from cheap imports.

It runs as high as 67.5% per pair of shoes - making it among the highest shoe tariffs in the world. By comparison, the European Union is 17%, Japan is 10%, and Chile is 6%.

The shoe industry feels that it is an anachronism. The entire U.S. shoe industry is rallying behind the Affordable Footwear Act of 2007 - even the last-standing domestic shoemakers support the bill.

Their web site is EndTheShoeTax.com.

Unfortunately, passage of the bill by congress is uncertain, because it's low priority and relatively obscure.