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 Foreign trade zones (FTZs) are secure facilities where foreign merchandise can be warehoused or further manufactured before the payment of customs duties. They are licensed by the Foreign-Trade Zones Board—which is housed within the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration—and operate under the supervision of Customs and Border Protection. 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 70th annual report contains details of activities during fiscal year 2008 (October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008), including the dollar value of merchandise moved, a list of the 47 formal orders issued during this time, and the locations, addresses, and contact points of all zones. There were 164 fully active FTZ projects during FY 2008. The combined value of shipments into the zones totaled $693 billion, compared with $502 billion in FY 2007. Exports from facilities operating under FTZ procedures amounted to $40 billion. About 330,000 persons were employed at some 2,500 firms that operated under FTZ status during the year.
(December 2009; vi, 57 pages; ISSN 1544-2322)
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