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The Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) program was created by the U.S. government to facilitate international trade and increase the global competitiveness of U.S.-based companies. The program, which has existed since the 1930s, continues to thrive and change to better meet the needs of American companies in the global economy.
What is an FTZ? An FTZ is an area within the United States, in or near a U.S. Customs port of entry, where foreign and domestic merchandise is considered to be outside the country, or at least, outside of U.S. Customs territory. Certain types of merchandise can be imported into a Zone without going through formal Customs entry procedures or paying import duties. Customs duties and excise taxes are due only at the time of transfer from the FTZ for U.S. consumption. If the merchandise never enters the U.S. commerce, then no duties or taxes are paid on those items.
Activities Permitted in a Foreign-Trade Zone
Merchandise entering a Zone may be:
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*The user must receive special approval from the FTZ Board for manufacturing.
Operating within an FTZ carries numerous benefits:
- Deferral, reduction and possible elimination of duties
- Tighter inventory control that may virtually eliminate year-end inventory loss adjustments
- Potential direct delivery benefit reduces long hold times at crowded ports of entry
Benefits for Businesses The FTZ program helps American companies improve their competitive position versus their counterparts abroad. The FTZ program allows U.S.-based companies to defer, reduce or even eliminate Customs duties on products admitted to the zone.
Deferral of Duties Customs duties are paid only when and if merchandise is transferred into U.S. Customs and Border Protection territory. This benefit equates to a cash flow savings that allows companies to keep critical funds accessible for their operating needs while the merchandise remains in the zone. There is no time limit on the length of time that merchandise can remain in a zone.
Reduction of Duties In a FTZ, with the permission of the Foreign-Trade Zones Board, users are allowed to elect a zone status on merchandise admitted to the zone. This zone status determines the duty rate that will be applied to foreign merchandise if it is eventually entered into U.S. commerce from the FTZ. This process allows users to elect the lower duty rate of that applicable to either the foreign inputs or the finished product manufactured in the zone. If the rate on the foreign inputs admitted to the zone is higher that the rate applied to the finished product, the FTZ user may choose the finished product rate, thereby reducing the amount of duty owed.
Elimination of Duties No duties are paid on merchandise exported from a FTZ. Therefore, duty is eliminated on foreign merchandise admitted to the zone but eventually exported from the FTZ. Generally, duties are also eliminated for merchandise that is scrapped, wasted, destroyed or consumed in a zone.
Additional Benefits
Elimination of Drawback In some instances, duties previously paid on exported merchandise may be refunded through a process called drawback. The drawback law has become increasingly complex and expensive to administer. Through the use of a FTZ, the need for drawback may be eliminated allowing these funds to remain in the operating capital of the company.
Labor, Overhead and Profit In calculating the dutiable value on foreign merchandise removed from a zone, zone users are authorized to exclude zone costs of processing or fabrication, general expenses and profit. Therefore, duties are not owed on labor, overhead and profit attributed to production in a FTZ.
Taxes By federal statute, tangible personal property imported from outside the U.S. and held in a zone, as well as that produced in the U.S. and held in a zone for exportation, are not subject to State and local ad valorem taxes.
Quotas U.S. quota restrictions do not apply to merchandise admitted to zones, although quotas will apply if and when the merchandise is subsequently entered into U.S. commerce. Merchandise subject to quota, with the permission of the Foreign-Trade Zones Board, may be substantially transformed in a FTZ to a non-quota article that may then be entered into U.S. Customs and Border Protection territory, free of quota restrictions. Quota merchandise may be stored in a FTZ so that when the quota opens, the merchandise may be immediately shipped into U.S. Customs and Border Protection territory.
Zone-to-Zone Transfer An increasing number of firms are making use of the ability to transfer merchandise from one zone to another. Because the merchandise is transported in-bond, duty may be deferred until the product is removed from the final zone for entry into the U.S. Customs and Border Protection territory.
Other Additional benefits, sometimes referred to as intangible benefits, have begun to play a greater role in a company's evaluation of the FTZ program. Many companies in FTZs find that their inventory control systems run more efficiently, increasing their competitiveness. FTZ users also find that in meeting their FTZ reporting responsibilities to the U.S. government, they are eligible to take advantage of special Customs procedures such as direct delivery and weekly entry. These procedures expedite the movement of cargo, thereby supporting just-in-time inventory methodologies.
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