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Foreign trade zones (FTZs) are the U.S. form of free
trade zones. They are licensed by the Commerce Department's
Foreign-Trade Zones Board and operate under the supervision
of the Customs Service. The board is required to publish
an annual report on its activities under the Foreign-Trade
Zones Act of 1934 (19 USC 81a-81u).
This
66th annual report contains details of activities during
fiscal year 2004 (October 1, 2003 through September
30, 2004), including the dollar value of merchandise
moved, a list of the 53 formal orders issued during
this time, and the locations, addresses, and contact
points of all zones. There were 157 fully active FTZ
projects during FY 2004. The combined value of shipments
into the zones totaled $305 billion, compared with $247
billion in FY 2003. Exports from facilities operating
under FTZ procedures amounted to $19 billion. About
330,000 persons were employed at some 2,700 firms that
operated under FTZ status during the year.
(February
2006; vi, 52 pages; ISSN 1544-2322)
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