Page 107 - BWM March 2013

March 2013 | Business World Magazine | 107
FDRA President Matt Priest has led
the organization since 2009, but formerly
served as senior advisor to U.S. Commerce
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, and was also
previously a deputy assistant secretary in the
textiles and apparel division of the U.S. De-
partment of Commerce. Priest says among
FDRA’s priorities is putting an end to the
regressive trade policies that not only un-
dermine the industry, but also drive-up costs
for consumers.
ADVOCATING
AFFORDABILITY
“Footwear is one of the highest taxed goods
of anything Americans can purchase,” says
Priest.
And as much as footwear is something
one essentially has to purchase, he says more
often than not, that purchase is something
that has been manufactured overseas (more
than 98% of the shoes sold in America are
made overseas). Priest says “regressive and
outdated” policies result in uncommonly
excessive, if not utterly unfair, duty fees. For
example, the average consumer good duty is
approximately 1.3 percent. Yet for footwear,
the average duty is 10.1 percent, in fact, some