Foreign Trade Zone Hearing Scheduled

Establishing a foreign trade zone is not a sure-fire economic booster, but it does show an area wants to be more aggressive in international commerce, a federal official says.

John Da Ponte, executive secretary of the Foreign-Trade Zones Board, will be in Spokane today to conduct a hearing on a Spokane Airport Board application to create a zone covering Spokane International Airport, the adjacent business park and Felts Field.

If approved, the zone would enable businesses in the area to import and export goods more cheaply because customs duties and excise fees would be eliminated or reduced.

Although some businesses may consider a trade zone critical in deciding whether to stay or move to an area, Da Ponte said, the zones usually are a matter of convenience and economy for businesses already in an area.

“It’s more often part of the overall business environment that you have in a community,” he said.

Of the 210 trade zones in the country, several are in Washington, Da Ponte said, with Olympia being the most recent addition.

The review of Spokane’s application should be relatively routine, he said.

Snags crop up only rarely, he said, usually when two or more sites within a community are competing for the designation, or if a company operating within a zone might gain an unfair business advantage.

Unless there is unexpected opposition, Spokane’s application could be approved by the middle of next year, Da Ponte said.

Once approved, the U.S. Customs Service can activate the zone any time within five years.

The hearing will begin at 2 p.m. in the Spokane City Council Chambers.

, DataTimes