21 Apr FDRA made the following statement on the introduction of the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016:
“We are excited that today a bipartisan group led by House Ways & Means Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Levin introduced legislation that would establish a new Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) process in order to provide much-needed tax relief for American footwear companies and consumers,” said FDRA President Matt Priest, “Over the past three decades, MTBs have received strong bipartisan support because they lower import taxes on products needed by American businesses to increase their competitiveness and create new jobs. The last MTB bill expired in 2012, which has resulted in higher costs for U.S. footwear companies, directly impacting job creation and economic growth. The legislation introduced today will provide greater transparency in the MTB process while moving forward on tariff reduction that is critical to our industry.”
The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) is the footwear industry’s voice in Washington. It represents over 130 footwear companies and 200 brands, or 80% of total U.S. footwear sales, making it America’s largest and most respected footwear trade association.