Free Trade Zones_ argentine

Free Trade Zones/Special Customs Areas/Bonded Warehouses
Argentine Law 24331 of 1994 authorizes the Federal Government to create one free trade zone in each Province and delegates to the executive branch the authority to create foreign trade or export processing zones in each of Argentina's twenty-three provinces and four others in border areas.

Regulations and Advantages
Imports

Free Trade Zones offer outstanding advantages to importers. Goods brought into the zones enter free of taxes and duties. Their entry does not imply that their final destination is for consumption. The customs authority regulating the goods considers them as stored in a third country; therefore, incoming products are subjected to inspection with the sole purpose of classifying quantity and type.

This privileged system allows importers to improve cash flow by delaying taxes and customs duty payments. In other words, goods enjoy a duty-free status until they enter the Argentine customs territory. Goods may remain in the zone for a maximum period of five years. The free zones offer importers the following advantages:

Goods can be released according to market demand, thus avoiding payment of duties and taxes until a purchaser for the goods is found; i.e., free zone customers pay the duties and taxes on goods sold and leaving the zone (deferring payment of duties).

Incoming goods can be split, have value-added work performed, etc. to increase their commercial quality or to save on transportation costs.

Goods may be re-exported to any part of the world without paying any duty or tax.

Import verification of goods can be done directly in the zone, prior to entering the Argentine customs territory, instead of at port of origin.

Free zone users can display their goods in their own showroom, in the zone, making marketing and sales easier.

Exports

The free trade zones offer exporters the possibility to import free of customs duties, statistics rate and VAT, all the necessary equipment to build a "turnkey operation" within the zones. Furthermore, exporters manufacturing within the zones enjoy the benefit of buying supplies and raw materials from third countries, without having to pay duties or taxes that lead to increased prices.

By exporting through the Free Trade Zone, industries enjoy the incentives available in the Argentine Territory, plus the lower costs due to the exception of VAT and internal taxes in basic supplies such as electricity, gas, water, and telephone services.

La Plata Free Trade Zone (ZFLP)

The inauguration of the La Plata free trade zone on January 2, 1997 brought about a significant change in the international trade of goods in the area. An important aspect of this zone is its proximity to the city of Buenos Aires (40 miles south of Buenos Aires - about a one-hour drive) and to Ezeiza International Airport (one-hour drive). Other highlights of this free trade zone include its port, with 500 meters of dock, and its strategic location linking this free trade zone to the main cities of Argentina. It also has the availability of all the necessary equipment to move cargoes, which provide customers a logistic service for the distribution of goods inside and outside the country.
Infrastructure:

Port within the free zone with 500 meters of dock
Container storage area
400,000 m2 of warehouses
100,000 m2 storage area for trucks cars, machinery, etc. next to the dock
5,000 m2 office space
Showrooms where goods can be exhibited for wholesale operations.

Main industries using the La Plata free trade zone services:

Tools and Machinery
Vehicles
Auto Parts
Textiles
Toys
Electronics

Users

Operations and Technical Management Department figures show that 1,942 users - 315 of them direct users and 1,627 indirect - operate within the ZFLP. Over 400 businesses are waiting to have their projects approved and to be allotted space at La Plata. The majority of users are small and medium sized firms (SMEs), but large corporations are also clients. Some of the users are Sharp, Maxon, Acropolis, Canon, TDK, JVC, Audinac, Pioneer, Rates, Audio Logic, Zenith, Daewo, Talent, Goldstar, Panashiba, Nashiba, Le Roy, Carandache, Baume & Mercier, Corum, Tag Heuer, Movado, Caterpillar, Valvoline, Komatsu, Cummins, Coleman, John Deere, Home, Litte, Snapper, Asia, Kia, Isuzu, Mazda, Nissan, Case, SKF, Fag Steyr, Armstrong, Stanetex Tile, Multicolor Prem, Abco Haldex, Sigma Paximat, York, Autobombas Ford, GM, American Lafrance, Venus Carpet, Kalpakian Floget, Blue Diamond, Stronger, Yale, Skoda, Cessna, Bayer, Nike, Topper, Avia, Jovi, Canson, Stabilo, La Serenisima, Sancor, Ceres, Goodyear, Eastman, Digitar, Tecno Steel, Dallas, Cristaleria Bohemia, Heidelberg, Polar, Hempel, Crosley, Waltek, Exenel, Printex, Darling, Wega, R.N., Tecno 1, Medtronic, Akroplast, BRD, Lostra 2100 Fume, Care Quilt, Rae Flex, Zwiling, Nippon, Kaijo, Ki, Trinity, Asme, Dupont, Siderar, Sanitron, Band Ai, Alcoa, Samsonite, Daihatsu, Rhone Poulenc, Asics, Etam, Grimoldi, Boating Shoes, Sthil, Subaru, Daewoo, Cadbury de Argentina, Cafes La Virginia, Construcciones Metalurgicas Zanello, Electrolux Argentina, Ilko Argentina, Impsat, Ledesma Mattel Argentina, Multicolor Argentina, Papelera Tucuman, Pecom NEC, Philco Ushuaia, Phillips Argentina, Ralston Purina Argentina, Spazio Casa Simmons de Argentina.