Free-trade zone

Geographic area where economic activity between and within countries is less regulated

This article is about the special economic zones within countries. For other uses, see Free Zone.

"FTZ" redirects here. For other uses, see FTZ (disambiguation).

Part of a series on

Taxation
An aspect of fiscal policy

Policies

* Economic justice
* Government revenue
* Property tax equalization
* Tax revenue
* Non-tax revenue
* Tax law
* Tax bracket
* Flat tax
* Tax threshold
* Taxation as theft
* Tax shift
* Tax cut
* Tax advantage
* Tax incentive
* Tax reform
* Double taxation
* Tax harmonization
* Tax competition
* Voluntary taxation
* Representation

Economics

|  General Theory

* Price effect
* Excess burden
* Tax efficiency
* Tax incidence
* Laffer curve
* Optimal tax
* Fiscal illusion
* Theories
* Optimal capital income taxation

Distribution of Tax

* Tax rate
* Flat
* Progressive
* Regressive
* Proportional

Collection

* Economic nexus in the United States
* Revenue service
* Revenue stamp
* Tax assessment
* Taxable income
* Tax lien
* Tax refund
* Tax shield
* Tax residence
* Tax preparation
* Tax protester
* Tax investigation
* Tax collector
* Tax withholding
* Private tax collection

Noncompliance

|  Legal tax avoidance

* Base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS)
* Double Irish
* Single Malt
* CAIA
* Dutch Sandwich
* Estate planning
* Fuel dye
* Repatriation tax avoidance
* Share repurchase
* Tariff engineering
* Tax credit
* Tax deduction
* Tax exemption
* Taxpayer groups
* Tax holiday
* Tax inversion
* Tax farming
* Tax patent
* Tax shelter

Illegal tax evasion

* Tax amnesty
* Black market
* Debtors' prison
* Tax exile
* Smuggling
* Tax resistance
* Transfer mispricing
* Unreported employment

Locations

* Tax havens
* Corporate havens
* Offshore financial centres (OFCs)
* Offshore magic circle
* Conduit and sink OFCs
* Financial centres
* Financial Secrecy Index

Major examples

* Ireland as a tax haven
* Ireland v. Commission
* Leprechaun economics
* Liechtenstein tax affair
* Luxembourg Leaks
* Offshore Leaks
* Paradise Papers
* Panama Papers
* Swiss Leaks
* United States as a tax haven
* Panama as a tax haven

Types

* Direct
* Indirect
* Per unit
* Ad valorem
* Aviation
* Airport improvement
* Landing
* Solidarity
* Capital gains
* Expatriation
* Consumption
* Departure
* Hotel
* Sales
* Stamp
* Television
* Tourist
* Value-added
* Digital goods
* Dividend
* Environmental tax
* Carbon
* Eco-tariff
* Landfill
* Natural resources consumption
* Severance
* Steering
* Stumpage
* Excise
* Alcohol
* Cigarette
* Fat
* Meat
* Sin
* Sugary drink
* Tobacco
* General
* Georgist
* Gift
* Gross receipts
* Hidden
* Hypothecated
* Income
* Inheritance (estate)
* Land value
* Luxury
* On childlessness
* Payroll
* Pigouvian
* Property
* Resource rent
* Single
* Stealth
* Surtax
* Turnover
* Use
* User charge/fee
* Congestion
* Fuel
* Road/GNSS
* Toll
* Vehicle miles traveled
* Corporate profit
* Excess profits
* Windfall
* Negative (income)
* Wealth

International

* Financial transaction tax
* ATTAC
* Currency transaction tax
* European Union Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB)
* Global minimum corporate tax rate
* Robin Hood tax
* Tobin tax
* Spahn tax
* Tax equalization
* Tax treaty
* Exchange of Information
* Permanent establishment
* Transfer pricing
* European Union FTT
* Foreign revenue rule

Trade

* Custom
* Duty
* Tariff
* Import
* Export
* Tariff war
* Free trade
* Free-trade zone
* Trade agreement
* ATA Carnet

Research

|  Academic

* Mihir A. Desai
* Dhammika Dharmapala
* James R. Hines Jr.
* Ronen Palan
* Joel Slemrod
* Gabriel Zucman

Advocacy groups

* Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
* Oxfam (UK)
* Tax Foundation (US)
* Tax Justice Network (TJN)
* Tax Policy Center (US)

Religious

* Church tax
* Eight per thousand
* Teind
* Tithe
* Fiscus Judaicus
* Leibzoll
* Temple tax
* Tolerance tax
* Jizya
* Kharaj
* Khums
* Nisab
* Zakat

By country

|  All Countries

* List of countries by tax rates
* Tax revenue to GDP ratio
* Tax rates in Europe

Individual Countries

* Albania
* Algeria
* Argentina
* Armenia
* Australia
* Azerbaijan
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brazil
* Bulgaria
* BVI
* Canada
* China
* Colombia
* Croatia
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hong Kong
* Iceland
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Kazakhstan
* Lithuania
* Malta
* Morocco
* Namibia
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Norway
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Peru
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Russia
* South Africa
* Sri Lanka
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Taiwan
* Tanzania
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom
* United States
* Uruguay

* Business portal
* Money portal

* v
* t
* e

"Free port" redirects here and is not to be confused with various places named Freeport.

"Porto franco" redirects here and is not to be confused with Brazilian city Porto Franco.

"Zona Franca" redirects here and is not to be confused with Barcelona, Spain district Zona Franca – Port.

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (September 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions.

* Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 1,087 articles in the main category, and specifying`|topic=` will aid in categorization.
* Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
* You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is `Content in this edit is translated from the existing Spanish Wikipedia article at [[:Es:Zona franca]]; see its history for attribution.`
* You may also add the template `{{Translated|Es|Zona franca}}` to the talk page.
* For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

|

A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone.[1][2] It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to customs duty. Free trade zones are generally organized around major seaports, international airports, and national frontiers—areas with many geographic advantages for trade.[3]

## Definition

[edit]

The World Bank defines free trade zones as "small, fenced-in, duty-free areas, offering warehousing, storage, and distribution facilities for trade, transshipment, and re-export operations".[4] Free-trade zones can also be defined as labor-intensive manufacturing centers that involve the import of raw materials or components and the export of factory products, but this is a dated definition as more and more free-trade zones focus on service industries such as software, back-office operations, research, and financial services.

### Synonyms

[edit]

Free-trade zones are referred to as "foreign-trade zones" in the United States (Foreign Trade Zones Act of 1934),[5] where FTZs provide customs-related advantages as well as exemptions from state and local inventory taxes. In other countries, they have been called "duty-free export processing zones," "export-free zones," "export processing zones," "free export zones," "free zones," "industrial free zones," "investment promotion zones," "maquiladoras," and "special economic zones".[5][6] Some were previously called "free ports". Free zones range from specific-purpose manufacturing facilities to areas where legal systems and economic regulation vary from the normal provisions of the country concerned.

Free zones may reduce or eliminate taxes, customs duties, and regulatory requirements for registration of business. Zones around the world often provide special exemptions from normal immigration procedures and foreign investment restrictions as well as other features. Free zones are intended to foster economic activity and employment that could occur elsewhere.[7]

## Export-processing zone

[edit]

An export-processing zone (EPZ) is a specific type of FTZ usually set up in developing countries by their governments to promote industrial and commercial exports. According to the World Bank, "an export processing zone is an industrial estate, usually a fenced-in area of 10 to 300 hectares, that specializes in manufacturing for export. It offers firms free trade conditions and a liberal regulatory environment. Its objectives are to attract foreign investors, collaborators, and buyers who can facilitate entry into the world market for some of the economy's industrial goods, thus generating employment and foreign exchange".[8] Most FTZs are located in developing countries; Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, El Salvador, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Madagascar all have EPZ programs.[9] In 1997, 93 countries had set up export processing zones, employing 22.5 million people, and five years later, in 2003, EPZs in 116 countries employed 43 million people.[9]

### Brazil

[edit]

In Brazil, 25 Export-Processing Zones have been authorized in 17 states, and 19 of them have been implemented.[10] Brazilian government launched the first Export processing zones in 1988, aiming to fight the unbalances in the country.[11] First EPZ area in operation was located near of the Port of Pecém in Ceará.[11] Companies in these areas are benefited from tax exemptions and incentives at the ICMS Tax (State Value-Added Tax). Some Brazilian states offer other regional incentives.[12] Companies also can take advantage of a Foreign exchange treatment supported by the law that created the EPZ and proximity of Custom authorities with offices inside the EPZ.[11]

### China

[edit]

China has specific rules differentiating an EPZ from a FTZ. For example, 70% of goods in EPZs must be exported, but there is no such quota for FTZs.[13]

## Free economic zone

[edit]

Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which companies are taxed very lightly or not at all to encourage economic activity. The taxation rules and duties are determined by each country.[14] The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) has content on the conditions and benefits of free zones.[15]

Some special economic zones are called free ports or free trade ports. Sometimes they have historically been endowed with favorable customs regulations, such as the free port of Trieste, or the newer free trade port on Hainan Island.[16]

### Definition

[edit]

The definition should be understood in meaning The International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention) uses the term “free zones” which the revised convention describes as “a part of the territory of a Contracting Party where any goods introduced are generally regarded, insofar as import duties and taxes are concerned, as being outside the customs territory”.

According to the World Bank,[17] the main types of special economic zones are:

1. Free-trade zones (FTZ)
2. Export processing zones (EPZ)
3. Free economic zones (FZ/FEZ)
4. Industrial parks/estates (IE)
5. Free ports
6. Bonded logistics parks (BLP)
7. Urban enterprise zones

### History

[edit]

An early type of special economic zone was free ports, these historically were endowed with favorable customs regulations. In modern times, free port has come to mean a specific type of special economic zone, for example LADOL.

All "free ports" in the world were permitted by the respective states, save the Free Port of Trieste that with the signing of the 16th Resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations[18] (10 January 1947) and the signing of the Treaty of Peace with Italy[19] (10 February 1947, ratified 15 September 1947) was put territorially under the sovereignty of the United Nations itself. As cited on Annex VIII, Article 3, paragraph 2: "The establishment of special zones in the Free Port under the exclusive jurisdiction of any State is incompatible with the status of the Free Territory and of the Free Port". For example, it was not possible to apply the "Italian Law on Ports" in the extraterritorial free zones of the UN Free Port of Trieste with the effect that all actual territorial concessions were null and void.

In 1954, the Free Territory of Trieste was dissolved and given to its neighbours, Italy and Yugoslavia.

## Background

[edit]

The world's first-documented free-trade zone was established on the Greek Island of Delos in 166 BCE. It lasted until about 69 BCE when the island was overrun by pirates. The Romans had many civitas libera, or free cities, some of which could coin money, establish their own laws, and not pay an annual tribute to the Roman Emperor. These continued through at least the first millennium CE. In the 12th century, the Hanseatic League began operating in Northern Europe and established trading colonies throughout Europe. These Free Trade Zones included Hamburg and the Steelyard in London. The Steelyard, like other Hansa stations, was a separate walled community with its own warehouses, weighing house, chapel, counting houses, and residential quarters. In 1988, remains of the former Hanseatic trading house, once the largest medieval trading complex in Britain, were uncovered by archaeologists during maintenance work on Cannon Street Station. Shannon, Ireland (Shannon Free Zone),[20] established in 1959, has claimed to be the first "modern" free trade zone. The Shannon Zone was started to help the city airport adjust to a radical change in aircraft technology that permitted longer range aircraft to skip previously required refueling stops in Shannon. It was an attempt by the Irish government to maintain employment around the airport so that the airport would continue to generate revenue for the Irish economy. It was hugely successful and is still in operation today. Other free zones to note are the Kandla Free Zone in India, which started in about 1960, and the Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone in Taiwan, which started in 1967. The number of worldwide free-trade zones proliferated in the late 20th century.

Corporations setting up in a zone may be given a number of regulatory and fiscal incentives, such as the right to establish a business, the right to import parts and equipment without duty, the right to keep and use foreign exchange earnings, and sometimes income or property tax breaks. There may also be other incentives relating the methods of customs control and filing requirements. The rationale is that the zones will attract investment, create employment, and thus reduce poverty and unemployment, stimulating the area's economy. These zones are often used by multinational corporations to set up factories to produce goods (such as clothing, shoes, and electronics).

Free-trade zones should be distinguished from free trade areas. A free trade zone is normally established in a single country, although there are a few exceptions where a free zone may cross a national border, such as the Syrian/Jordanian Free Trade Zone.[21] Free trade areas are set up between countries; for example, the Latin America Free Trade Association (LAFTA) was created in the 1960 Treaty of Montevideo by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay; and the North American Free Trade Agreement was established between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. In free trade areas, tariffs are only lowered between member countries. They should also be distinguished from customs unions, like the former European Economic Community, where several countries agree to unify customs regulations and eliminate customs between the union members.

Free-trade zones have more recently been also called special economic zones in some countries. Special economic zones (SEZs) have been established in many countries as testing grounds for the implementation of liberal market economy principles. SEZs are viewed as instruments to enhance the acceptability and the credibility of the transformation policies and to attract domestic and foreign investment. The change in terminology has been driven by the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which prohibits members from offering certain types of fiscal incentives to promote the exports of goods, thus why the term Export Processing Zone (EPZ) is no longer used with newer zones. For example, India converted all of its EPZs to SEZs in 2000.

In 1999, there were 43 million people working in about 3,000 FTZs spanning 116 countries and producing clothes, shoes, sneakers, electronics, and toys. The basic objectives of economic zones are to enhance foreign exchange earnings, develop export-oriented industries, and generate employment opportunities.

## US Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[edit]

In the United States, the Foreign-Trade Zones Board (FTZB), established under the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Act of 1934, is led by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Treasury.

In January 2009, the Foreign-Trade Zones Board adopted an FTZ Board staff proposal to make what it called the Alternative Site Framework (ASF) as a means of designating and managing general-purpose FTZ sites through reorganization. The ASF provides Foreign-Trade Zone grantees greater flexibility to meet specific requests for zone status by utilizing the minor boundary modification process. The theory of the ASF is that by more closely linking the amount of FTZ-designated space to the amount of space activated with Customs and Border Protection, Zone users would have better and quicker access to benefits.

When an FTZ grantee evaluates whether or not to expand its FTZ project in order to improve the ease in which the Zone may be utilized by existing companies, as well as how it attracts new prospective companies, the Alternative Site Framework (ASF) should be considered. The ASF may be an appropriate option for certain Foreign-Trade Zone projects, but the decision of whether to adopt the new framework and what the configuration of the sites should be requires careful analysis and planning. Regardless of the choice to expand the FTZ project, the sites should be selected and the application drafted in such a manner as to receive swift approval while maximizing benefit to those that locate in the Zone. Successful zone projects are generally the result of a plan developed and implemented by individuals who understand all aspects of the FTZ program.[22]

The FTZB approves the reorganization of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) 32 under the alternative site framework. The application submitted by its grantee, the Greater Miami Foreign Trade Zone was approved and officially ordered by the FTZB on January 8, 2013. From California to Oklahoma, North Carolina, and New York State, FTZs all across the United States have recently [when?] been making use of the flexible opportunities offered by the Alternative Site Framework (ASF) program. The ASF program is designed to serve zone projects that want the flexibility to both attract users/operators to certain fixed sites but also want the ability to serve companies at other locations where the demand for FTZ services will arise in the future. FTZ 32 was founded in 1979 and processes over $1 billion in goods with products from more than 65 countries and exported to more than 75 countries worldwide with speed and efficiency. According to the official order from the FTZB, FTZ 32 existing site 1, Miami Free Zone, will be classified as a magnet site.[23]

## UAE Free Zones

[edit]

Due to growing business opportunities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UAE government has introduced 'Free Zones' to make it easier for foreigners to invest and operate in the UAE. In these Free Zones, investors benefit from maintaining full business ownership and receiving tax exemptions.

Some of the benefits of setting up business in UAE Free Zones are:

* No Corporate Tax, 100% exemption[24] provided that business done between the free zone company and any mainland companies are under 375,000 AED a year.[25]
* 100% ownership of business
* Bank accounts can be opened in a business's name
* Reasonable renewal fees
* 100% import and export tax exemptions
* 100% repatriation of profits and capital
* Investor VISA

Some Free Zones in UAE are:

* Ajman Free Zone
* Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ)
* International Free Zone Authority (IFZA)
* Sharjah Media City Free Zone (SHAMS)
* Hamriyah Free Zone

## Kuwait Free Trade Zone

[edit]

Kuwait's free trade zone (FTZ) was formally established in 1999 to expand businesses and lure the export industry. The zone was located in the western part of the commercial port of Shuwaikh. It was the only free trade zone in the country.

In 2019, the Council of Ministers cancelled the free-zone, leaving Kuwait without a special economic zone.[26]

## Strategic benefits

[edit]

Aberdeen Group research published in 2013 noted that best-in-class companies make strategic use of free-trade zones as a means of reducing inbound trade costs, shortening import timescales, and optimising the balance of their corporate sourcing and operational activities.[27]

## Criminal use

[edit]

The European Union, in 2020, introduced new stricter rules to identify and report suspicious activities at free ports and zones in response to the "high incidence of corruption, tax evasion, and criminal activity", with a further review to take place in the following year, The European Parliament suggested that increasing demand for free ports could be partly a response to global crackdowns on tax evasion. The European Commission in a report said that free ports were popular for the storage of art, precious stones, antiques, gold, and wine as alternative assets to cash, and posed an emerging threat in multiple ways: allowing counterfeiters to land consignments and tamper with loads and paperwork, then re-export the products without customs formalities, disguising the actual origin and nature of the goods and their supplier. The commission said they were also used for narcotics trafficking, the illegal ivory trade, people smuggling, VAT fraud, corruption and money laundering. "Legal businesses owned by criminals remain key to money-laundering activities ... free ports are perceived as facilities that protect their clients' identity and financial dealings, much as private banks used to."

As an example, the commission cited Swiss authorities' 2016 seizure of cultural relics looted from the Middle East being stored in Geneva's free ports.[28][29]

The free port system has been accused of facilitating international art crime, allowing stolen artworks to remain undetected in storage for decades.[30] Freeports' lax regulation enables criminals to operate in secrecy. Freeports may facilitate money laundering and tax evasion by obscuring the real beneficial owners of criminal assets, which hinders authorities' efforts to trace criminal profits and recover taxes.[31]

## Criticism

[edit]

Sometimes the domestic government pays part of the initial cost of factory setup, loosens environmental protections and rules regarding negligence and the treatment of workers, and promises not to ask payment of taxes for the next few years. When the taxation-free years are over, the corporation that set up the factory without fully assuming its costs is often able to set up operations elsewhere for less expense than the taxes to be paid, giving it leverage to take the host government to the bargaining table with more demands, but parent companies in the United States are rarely held accountable.[32]

Political writer Naomi Klein has also criticized the transient nature of FTZs, noting the factory closures connected to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. She criticized the low wages and long hours, citing workdays of twelve or more hours in Indonesia, Philippines, Southern China, and Sri Lanka circa 2000.[33]

## List of free economic zones by country

[edit]

Main article: List of free economic zones

## See also

[edit]

* Aggressive legalism
* Bonded logistics park
* Foreign trade zones of the United States
* Free trade areas in Europe
* Free economic zone
* Free-trade area
* Free trade
* Open Balkan
* Craiova Group
* CEFTA
* Index of international trade topics
* List of free-trade zones
* List of free-trade zones in Dubai
* Shanghai Free-Trade Zone
* Special economic zone
* Factory (trading post)
* Bonded warehouse
* Four Asian Tigers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ ОСОБЫМИ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИМИ ЗОНАМИ СУБЪЕКТА РФ Масаев С.Н. В сборнике: XIII Всероссийское совещание по проблемам управления ВСПУ-2019 Труды. Под общей редакцией Д.А. Новикова. 2019. С. 1773-1778.
2. ^ Masaev S. Destruction of the Resident Enterprise in the Special Economic Zone with Sanctions. Publisher: IEEE. 2019
3. ^ "Free-trade zone", Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
4. ^ "Zone Definition", Special Economic Zone: Performance, Lessons Learned, and Implication for Zone Development, Washington DC: World Bank, 2008, pp. 9–11
5. ^ a b Tiefenbrun, Susan (2012), Tax Free Trade Zones Of The World And In The United States, Edward Elgar Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84980-243-7
6. ^ "Special Economic Zone (SEZ): Chinese Economics", Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved September 16, 2016
7. ^ Farole, Akinci, ed., "Special Economic Zones: Progress, Challenges and Future Directions, World Bank, 2011
8. ^ Export Processing Zones (PDF), Policy and Research Series, Washington DC: World Bank, 1992
9. ^ a b Sargent, John; Matthews, Linda. "China vs. Mexico in the Global EPZ Industry: Maquiladoras, FDI Quality and Plant Mortality" (PDF). University of Texas Pan America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
10. ^ "Zonas de Processamento de Exportação". Ministério da Economia INDÚSTRIA, COMÉRCIO EXTERIOR E SERVIÇOS. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
11. ^ a b c de Souza Feitosa, Roberto (2016-02-18). "The Free Trade Zones in Brazil". Tax & Accounting Blog Posts by Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
12. ^ "Export Processing Zones (EPZ)". Ministério da Economia INDÚSTRIA, COMÉRCIO EXTERIOR E SERVIÇOS. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
13. ^ "Compare". Yusen Logistics Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
14. ^ Мarynсhak, Yеvhеn (2019). IMPORTANCE OF A FREE ZONES FOR PUBLIC FINANCES. Theoretical and methodological approaches to the formation of a modern system of enterprises, organizations and institutions' development (1st ed.). Dallas: Primedia eLaunch LLC. pp. 157–158\. doi:10.36074/tmafmseoid.ed-1.15. ISBN 978-1-64669-378-8. S2CID 212956756.
15. ^ "WTO Subsidies and Countervailing Measures: overview. Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures ("SCM Agreement")". www.wto.org. World Trade Organization. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020.
16. ^ "Hainan's Free Trade Port: Medical Tourism and the Development of Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone". hktdc.com. 8 November 2024.
17. ^ "Free Economic Zones (FEZs) & Special Economic Zones (SEZs) • ZENDEQ".
18. ^ "S/Res/16(1947) - e - S/Res/16(1947)".
19. ^ "Treaty Series Vol. 49" United Nations. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
20. ^ "Welcome to Shannon Development". Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
21. ^ "Syria, Jordan open a free trade zone". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
22. ^ "Foreign-Trade Zone Alternative Site Framework (ASF)". Foreign Trade Zone Corporation. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
23. ^ "81b. Establishment of zones". Archived from the original on October 20, 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
24. ^ "Corporate tax (CT) - the Official Portal of the UAE Government".
25. ^ "The UAE introduces its first-ever corporate taxes, set to start in 2023". CNBC. 31 January 2022.
26. ^ "Kuwait's government cancels adopted Free Trade Zone decision". Zawya.
27. ^ "Supply Chain Digest - The best in supply chain management and logistics news, insight, education, opinion and education". www.scdigest.com. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
28. ^ Daniel Boffey (10 February 2020). "EU clamps down on free ports over crime and terrorism links". The Guardian.
29. ^ "Russian war in Ukraine renews pressure on Swiss free ports". 17 June 2022.
30. ^ Rachel Corbett; Julia Halperin; Richelle Simon (30 June 2015). "Experts identify top six scandals amid boom in art crime". The Art Newspaper.
31. ^ Gilmour, Paul Michael (2022). "Freeports: Innovative trading hubs or centres for money laundering and tax evasion?". Journal of Money Laundering Control. 25 (1): 63–71\. doi:10.1108/JMLC-01-2021-0002. S2CID 236602615.
32. ^ Millen, Joyce; Holtz, Timothy (2007). "Dying for Growth", in The Politics of Globalization: A Reader at Google Books, ed. Mark Kesselman. Houghton Mifflin.
33. ^ Klein, Naomi (2000). No Logo. Flamingo. pp. 204–229.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* "Specific Annex D: Customs Warehouses and Free Zones", International Convention on the Simplication and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention), World Customs Organization, 1999

## External links

[edit]

* Hualingfiz.ge Free Industrial Zone
* List of Free Zones in United Arab Emirates

* v
* t
* e

Designations for types of administrative division

English terms

Common English terms

| Area|

* Insular area
* Local government area
* Special area
* Unincorporated area
* Unorganized area

|

Borough|

* County borough
* Metropolitan borough

Canton|

Half-canton

Capital|

* Federal capital
* Imperial capital

City|

* Autonomous city
* Charter city
* Independent city
* Incorporated city
* Imperial city
* Free imperial city
* Royal free city

Community|

* Autonomous community
* Residential community

County|

* Administrative county
* Autonomous county
* Consolidated city-county
* County seat
* County town
* Metropolitan county
* Non-metropolitan county
* Regional county municipality
* Viscounty

Country|

* Overseas country

Department|

* Overseas department

District|

* Capital district
* City district
* Congressional district
* Electoral district
* Federal district
* Indian government district
* Land district
* Local government district
* Metropolitan district
* Non-metropolitan district
* Military district
* Municipal district
* Police district
* Regional district
* Rural district
* Sanitary district
* Service district
* Educational service district
* Local service district
* School district
* Intermediate school district
* Special district
* in the US
* Urban district

Division|

* Census division
* Police division
* Subdivision of India

Indian reserve/reservation|

* Indian reservation (United States)
* Indian reserve (Canada)

Municipality|

* City municipality
* County municipality
* Direct-controlled municipality
* District municipality
* Neutral municipality
* Regional municipality
* Resort municipality
* Mountain resort municipality
* Rural municipality
* Specialized municipality

Prefecture|

* Autonomous prefecture
* Subprefecture
* Super-prefecture
* Praetorian prefecture

Province|

* Autonomous province
* Overseas province
* Roman province

Region|

* Administrative region
* Special administrative region
* Autonomous region
* Capital region
* National capital region
* Development region
* Mesoregion
* Microregion
* Overseas region
* Subregion

State|

* Proto-state
* City-state
* Federal state
* Free state
* Sovereign state

Territory|

* Capital territory
* Federal capital territory
* National capital territory
* Dependent territory
* Federal territory
* Incorporated territory
* Organized incorporated territory
* Overseas territory
* Union territory

Town|

* Census town
* Market town

Township|

* Charter township
* Civil township
* Paper township
* Survey township
* Urban township

Unit|

* Regional unit

Zone|

* Economic zone
* Exclusive economic zone
* Free economic zone
* Special economic zone
* Exclusion zone
* Military exclusion zone
* Free speech zone
* Neutral zone
* Self-administered zone
* Trade zone
* Free-trade zone

Other English terms

| Current|

* Alpine resort
* Bailiwick
* Banner
* Autonomous
* Block
* Cadastre
* Circle
* Circuit
* Colony
* Commune
* Condominium
* Constituency
* Duchy
* District
* Eldership
* Emirate
* Enclave and exclave
* Federal dependency
* Governorate
* Hamlet
* Manor
* Royal
* Muftiate
* Neighbourhood
* Parish
* Precinct
* Principality
* Protectorate
* Quarter
* Regency
* Autonomous republic
* Riding
* Sector
* Autonomous
* Shire
* Sultanate
* Suzerainty
* Townland
* Village
* Summer
* Ward

|

Historical|

* Agency
* Barony
* Burgh
* Exarchate
* Hide
* Hundred
* Imperial Circle
* March
* Monthon
* Presidency
* Residency
* Roman diocese
* Seat
* Tenth
* Tithing
* Viceroyalty

Non-English terms or loanwords

| Current|

* Amt
* Apskritis
* Bakhsh
* Barangay
* Bashki
* Bezirk
* Regierungsbezirk
* Comarca
* Comune
* Frazione
* Freguesia
* Fu
* Gemeinde
* Austria
* Germany
* South Tyrol
* Switzerland
* Gemeente
* Gmina
* Hromada
* Județ
* Kampong
* Kommun/Kunta
* Finland
* Sweden
* Län (Sweden)
* Landskap
* Finland
* Località
* Maakunta
* Megye
* Muban
* Mukim
* Njësi administrative
* Obec
* Oblast
* Autonomous
* Okrug
* Ostān
* Poblacion
* Purok
* Qark
* Raion
* Savivaldybė
* Selsoviet
* Sitio
* Seniūnija
* Shahrestān
* Sum
* China
* Sýsla
* Tehsil
* Townlet
* Vingtaine

|

Historical|

* Commote
* Gau
* Heerlijkheid
* Komunë
* Köping
* Korale
* Län/Lääni
* Landskap
* Sweden
* Landskommun
* Maalaiskunta
* Nome
* Egypt
* Greece
* Pagus
* Pargana
* Plasă
* Rreth
* Satrapy
* Socken
* Subah
* Syssel
* Zhou

Used by ten or more countries or having derived terms. Historical derivations in italics.

See also
Autonomous administration
Census division
Electoral district
List of administrative divisions by country
Greek administrative divisions
Slavic administrative divisions

* v
* t
* e

International trade

Terminology|

* Absolute advantage
* Balance of payments
* Balance of trade
* Capital account
* Comparative advantage
* Current account
* Export-oriented industrialization
* Fair trade
* Foreign exchange reserves
* Globalization
* Global labor arbitrage
* Import substitution industrialization
* Net capital outflow
* Outsourcing
* Tariff
* Trade justice
* Trade war
* Trading nation

Organizations
and policies

* International Monetary Fund
* UN Trade and Development
* World Bank Group
* World Trade Organization
* International Trade Centre
* International Chamber of Commerce
* Bilateral investment treaty
* Economic integration
* Incoterms
* ATA Carnet
* Free-trade zone
* Special economic zone
* Trade agreement
* Trade barrier
* Trade bloc

Political economy|

* Free trade
* Adam Smith
* The Wealth of Nations
* Corn Laws
* Mercantilism
* Protectionism
* Economic nationalism
* Autarky
* Dedollarisation

Regional organizations|

| Americas|

* Andean Community
* Caribbean Community
* Central American Integration System
* Mercosur

|

Asia-Pacific|

* Association of Southeast Asian Nations
* Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
* South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Europe, Central Asia, and North Asia|

* Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union
* Eurasian Economic Union
* European Union Customs Union

Middle East and North Africa|

* Arab Customs Union
* Gulf Cooperation Council

Subsaharan Africa|

* East African Community
* Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa
* Southern African Customs Union
* West African Economic and Monetary Union

Exports by product|

* Aircraft & Spacecraft
* Aircraft parts
* Aluminium
* Car parts
* Coal
* Coffee
* Computers
* Copper
* Corn
* Cotton
* Diamonds
* Electricity
* Electronics
* Engines
* Gas turbines
* Gold
* Integrated circuits
* Iron ore
* Live animals
* Natural gas
* Oil
* Petrol
* Pharmaceuticals
* Photovoltaics
* Ships
* Steel
* Telecommunications equipment
* Telephones
* Textiles
* Trucks
* Vehicles
* Wheat
* Wine

* Category
* Commons

Portal:

* Business and economics

Authority control databases

National|

* Germany
* Japan

Other|

* Historical Dictionary of Switzerland

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template