FTZ Board Seeks Comments on Potential Conflicts of Interest Involving Third Party FTZ Agents
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board has issued a notice requesting comments by November 30, 2007 on uniform treatment in local access (including possible conflicts of interest) where a third-party agent of the grantee(s) may effectively control access to FTZ procedures.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
FTZB Seeks Comments on Conflicts of Interest, Inconsistent Treatment in FTZs
The FTZB seeks to gather information and various parties' views related to potential conflicts of interest in local access to FTZ procedures, including practices that parties believe may be inconsistent with the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of 1934, as amended (FTZ Act) or the FTZB's regulations.
According to the FTZB, concerns have been raised related to uniform treatment in local access (including possible conflicts of interest) where a third-party agent of the grantee(s) may effectively control access to FTZ procedures in a particular community or region. Potential conflicts of interest may be linked to the non-grantee entity also engaging in business - in competition with other private firms - to provide various FTZ-related services to potential users of the zone.
(Section 81n of the FTZ Act states, in part, that each such "grantee" of a local FTZ shall operate the zone as a public utility, and all rates and charges for all services or privileges within the zone shall be fair and reasonable. In addition, the FTZ Act states that the grantee shall afford to all who may apply to use the zone uniform treatment under like conditions.)
- Comments are due by November 30, 2007
FTZB contact - Pierre Duy (202) 482-2862
FTZB notice (D/N 46-2007, FR Pub 09/21/07) available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-18697.pdf