Shoe Tax...help keep Americans employed...

[WhiskeyGirl]

Sometimes, it seems like Congress and the White House stay up late at night finding ways to TAX Americans out of jobs.  

Send those jobs offshore...raise taxes on business, self employed, and others that work hard to support a family.

Why tax tanning services?  Why should these small businesses pay and others get a free ride?

Why not tax botox?  If you get botox, shouldn't you pay more too?  Aren't you a greater risk for adverse reactions?  Maybe Congress could pay a little more?  Hollywood too?

Maybe tax beer, wine, and spirits?  If you drink alcohol, aren't you at greater risk for addiction, liver problems, and other adverse effects?  Maybe Nancy could give up a little of her winery profits?

Why not a shoe tax on shoes over about $35 a pair?  Poor folks, in my experience, shot at Payless, WallyMart, KMart, Goodwill, rummage/garage/yard/tag sales, & stores like the Salvation Army.  Lots of shoes for under $35.

If you can afford to pay more than say $35 for a pair of shoes, you must be wealthy.  You can afford to pay more.

If you wear a lot of gym shoes, shouldn't you pay more for the increased risk of damaging your body through exercise and sports?  How much do fractures and brain injuries cost to repair?

If your can afford a pair of designer gym shoes costing hundreds of dollars (like the first lady) to feed the hungry and homeless, shouldn't you pay more since you are wealthy?

Wealthy people like shoes.  The Philippines had a former dictator's wife with thousands of very expensive shoes.  Someone had to pay for those shoes.  They were wealthy people.  Shouldn't shoe girls and guys pay more?  Shoe babies, and Beverly Hill Chihuahua's?

The best thing about the shoe tax?  Most shoes aren't made in America.  American's lost those jobs years ago.  So, American jobs are not affected.  Rich folks can afford to pay more for shoes.

mo

[WhiskeyGirl]

In my state, Wisconsin, there are people who are so poor they buy used underwear at garage/rummage/tag/yard sales.  (Yes, there are folks that sell used underwear)

Some, cannot afford a new package of underwear made in China or elsewhere, even from WallyMart, or the dollar store.

Why not tax underwear over say the Hanes or FOL price?

Only rich people can afford new underwear. 

Best thing?  Most garments and underwear are not made in America.  American workers lost those jobs years ago.  American garments were often made by ladies and those without fancy degrees.

Why not make an exception for goods made by cottage industries?  Special tax incentives like they have for home based businesses in SA and India?

[WhiskeyGirl]

"U.S. Should End Shoe Tariffs, Two Lawmakers Say"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday proposed saving Americans billions of dollars on shoes by eliminating import duties ranging up to 67.5 percent.

"Most hard-working American families don't realize they are paying a hidden tax on their shoes," Representative Joseph Crowley, a New York Democrat, said in a statement.

American cannot avoid the tax because 99 percent of shoes purchased each year in the United States are made in a foreign country, the American Apparel and Footwear Association said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9354993

Apparently, this tax is on low end shoes.  I think there is room for a tax on high end shoes, those costing more than $35 a pair.

[WhiskeyGirl]

"(China) opposes the European Union extending anti-dumping measures in any shape, will appeal to the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism, and will take corresponding steps to earnestly protect the legal rights of Chinese industry."

European retailers and global shoe brands have expressed frustration at the decision, which is likely to lead to higher prices for consumers. Chinese- and Vietnamese-made shoes are estimated to make up 30 percent of the EU market.

How many pair of shoes does the average Chinese have?  Maybe they could increase domestic consumption?

The extended duties come into force from Jan. 3 and amount to a 16.5 percent tariff on imports of Chinese leather shoes and 10 percent on those made in Vietnam.

The manufacturers said the Chinese and Vietnamese governments were providing unfair subsidies that lowered costs for domestic manufacturers, giving them an unfair advantage in the EU, the world's largest trading bloc which has a market of 500 million people.

more here - http://www.forbes.com/feeds/reuters/2009/12/22/2009-12-22T142837Z_01_LDE5BL0R0_RTRIDST_0_EU-CHINA-SHOES-UPDATE-2.html

Does the Chinese worker have national healthcare?  Unemployment?  Disability?  Social Security?

Workers in many countries cannot compete with slave or low paid conditions...